Dreaming in Color
by Ryou Shirogane
Summary: The Mew Project is over, and Shirogane Ryou is left alone at the cafe. Will he be able to stop a nightmare from his past, and will he ever be able to confess his feelings to Ichigo? [COMPLETE]
1. Return to Before

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_A/N: Tentatively named for Jump5's newest album. It really kind of fits since __Tokyo Mew Mew_ is so colorful and the Mew Project was Professor Shirogane's (and Ryou's) dream. I also make a lot of references to dreams. (Thanks Alysa-chan for mentioning that song "Just a Dream", or else my fic would still be title-less. :bows:) This takes place after Tokyo Mew Mew ends (based on a combination of both the anime and the manga, with a lot of my own little ideals thrown in). Shirogane Ryou is telling the story, so there's a lot of back information on him to start out with, but it should pick up from there. TMM does not belong to me, it was created by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida. Nya. Enjoy. 

Preface - Waking from the Dream

My eyes flew wide as I shot up in bed. Bringing both hands up in a failed attempt to smooth down my blond hair (it had matted itself up during the night), I turned to stare at the lime glow from the alarm clock. 4:15. Too early to get up, that was for sure, but at the same time going straight back to sleep was impossible. Not after the dream I had just encountered. It had been a restless sleep. Shrugging off the covers, I reluctantly allowed my feet to brush against the cold surface of the floor. It was enough to convince anyone to burrow under the covers again and forget it, but I forced myself up anyway. I padded down the hallway, descended the spiraled stairs and felt my way to the kitchen. I snagged a bottle of mineral water from the refridgerator and started downing it in several long swallows. 

_'What was that?'_ I asked myself silently. It wasn't the first time I had met with a dream of that nature. Nightmares were becoming commonplace for me. Some of them were completely jumbled and irrational, but others, like the one I had just had, were alarmingly realistic. 

It had been a little over three years since the Mew Project had come abruptly to an end. Those days seemed like a fantasy. I could remember everything very clearly as if it had happened yesterday, and yet, it seemed to have never happened at all. It **had** happened. I had managed to realize my father's wishes, the wishes that have become my own wishes. The Earth had been saved, the aliens had taken a fragment of the Mew Aqua back to their home planet, and the five "super ladies" were once again enjoying normal lives. And here I was, alone. Totally and completely alone. Sometimes the silence kills me. The cafe has been closed down, but opens on occasion for weddings and holidays and the like. I still live above in my bedroom and maintain a teaching job at a local highschool. My goal is to become a professor at Tokyo University, but despite that, most scholars still see me as a kid. 

I sat down the bottle and slid a chair off the top of one of the tables and sat it upright on the floor. I sunk down onto it heavily and took another swallow of the clear liquid. I hadn't heard much out of the girls, and most of what I had heard was gossip. Zakuro was hosting her own television series in America, Mint was trying to get into a distinguished private dance academy, Lettuce had a part-time job as a lifeguard while trying to finish up highschool, Pudding had been seen performing in the park on weekends a few months back - she'd still be in junior high. And Keiichiro was off in Egypt studying some strange heiroglyphics in one of the pharoah's resting places. The only person I hadn't heard a thing about was Ichigo. Ichigo. She had left with Masaya for England a few months after the final battle. I didn't expect her to call. I know she wouldn't. 

I tossed the empty bottle at a trash can, made it on the first attempt, and then retraced my steps back to my bed and under the warmth of the covers. 

"I knew it had to end somewhere..." I murmured before drifting off to sleep once again. 

Chapter One - Return to Before

Back then I was 10 years old, sitting silently in the passenger's seat of a very attractive red car, my sandy hair blowing lightly by the air flooding in the open window. A young boy of about 16 with a long brown ponytail was driving. He had just gotten his license a month ago, and had come rather excitedly to me and announced that he would be driving me to and from school from then on. I, however, couldn't really share in his enthusiasm. My mother had **always** driven me to school, and I had been hoping that my father might take over that tradition. I idolized my father. I had been secretly hoping that this would mean we could discuss DNA extraction and replication every morning... but no. 

"I'm happy to be able to drive you to school, Ryou. What with your mother finding out that she's pregnant, I think it will be good for her in the longrun," my chaperone spoke up. I couldn't exactly argue with that. It was true that my mother should have a break so as not to overexert herself, but I still wasn't too happy with this setup. 

"We've been thinking," he continued, "that perhaps you'd be happier in a university, Ryou. You seem bored with your studies, and this would give you the opportunity to talk to different people. You might learn a few things." 

That was a little bit better, but my thoughts were still focused on my father. Right after he had returned from Egypt, I had made a point to browse through my father's research log daily. I found his ideals absolutely fascinating. So fascinating that one rainy day, I had boldy announced to him that I would also become a scientist. I rested my chin in my palm as I stared out the window. All of a sudden I heard a loud sound which signaled an explosion as the car squealed to a stop and then we both lurched forwards, luckily restrained by our seatbelts. 

"What! Keiichiro, what was that noise!" I asked frantically, my eyes darted towards the horizon to see a huge column of smoke rising. Rising from the very location where the mansion stood. In this time my usually sharp mind felt as if it was getting foggier and foggier. Things were slowing down. They weren't making any sense. At about that time Keiichiro shouted that we had better hurry and floored it. 

I have to hand it to the guy, he can really put on the speed when he needs to. The car lurched again as Keiichiro slammed on the brakes and I leapt out the door and ran to the edge of the property. Before my eyes everything I had known was being consumed by demonic flames. I stared ahead dumbly. 

Finally my mind began to work again. It was so hot it hurt to breathe, but I knew what I had to do. I took a step forward, testing my voice, "Papa? Mama?" 

I felt someone grip me in a strong hold. It was Keiichiro. "Papa! Mama!" I yelled louder, "Let me go! I have to go to them!" 

"Ryou, you mustn't..." he said through gritted teeth. 

"No! Let me go!" I screamed, "LET ME GO!" 

Suddenly the flames parted and a figure emerged. She glowed like an ember but she looked like the devil himself. Her body was that of a dragon, long. Her upper half was that of a human. Her nails extended into long claws and a wicked horn crowned her head. From her shoulderblades stretched a pair of raven wings. The thing I will never forget was her face. Her face was one that inspired nightmares. It was a face like death, with eyes that burned like the flames did. I stared. The truth was I was terrified, I couldn't bring myself to look away as her gaze bore down on me, suffocating me more. Finally she let out an ear-splitting roar and vanished into the night. 

At about that time, Keiichiro broke down and started crying. I knew that he thought a lot of my father. I wouldn't accept this. No, I refused to! I knew that my parents surely must have made it out. Or else the firemen would come in time to rescue them from the firey prison. But no. Three hours later, my house had burnt completely to the ground. I had watched it fall. It did not collapse heavily, but seemed to disintigrate. Like dust. 

Keiichiro pried me away from the ashes and drove me back to a hotel, promising that we could return in the morning if there was a need. To try to get some sleep. I could hear him sobbing every now and then throughout the night, but he finally fell asleep and his tears were replaced by soft snoring. I, on the otherhand, didn't sleep a wink. 

The next day we returned to the wreckage. Indeed, it had all burned flat. My shoulders sagged. 

"It's all gone..." Keiichiro commented sadly, "Everything..." 

"No!" I interjected, "It's not all gone. My father's notes. I remember them..." I shook my head, "I **do** remember!" 

"Ryou..." Keiichiro whispered. 

At that moment I could no longer take it. Something inside me snapped. My vision blurred as tears came to my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks. I tried to hold it in, but ended up choking out a sob. From that point on I totally broke down into a crying fit. 

A week later we held their funeral. Lots of people attended from as far away as Japan and Australia. I sat on the front pew of the church and watched as people came up and spoke about my father and how bright he was. There was story after story about what he could have done with his talent. Then they talked about my mother and how kind and selfless she was, and what a shame it was too, after she had just found out she was pregnant with another child. It was suggested that I go to the front and say something, anything at all. I sat there with my head down, staring at my lap. I shook my head each time I was asked. How could I say anything? None of these strangers would ever understand the people my parents really were. My mother was practically a saint. She never said a bad word against anyone, and she had never blamed me when I came home from school with a black eye. She had trusted me. She would always take care of me whenever I was hurt or sick, always willing to listen, and speaking to me with gentle words. My father was my hero. He embodied everything that I wanted to be. Sometimes he would take me fishing on weekends or even to the zoo. My father was full of scientific wisdom and fascinating stories. And I had lost that. I had lost that and it would never ever return to me. What had I done to deserve such a fate? 

- 

"C'mon, Ryou, we're going to be late," a hand shook my shoulder as I laid there on my stomach, still half under the covers. 

"Go away..." I muttered pleasantly. 

"Ryou, we're going to be late. We need to catch the first flight over, you know that! Let's get up now," Keiichiro yanked the covers off and opened the shades, nearly blinding me. 

I moaned a bit in protest, but dragged myself from the bed and into the bathroom to get dressed and brush my teeth and hair. 

Forty-five minutes later I was walking along beside Keiichiro, clutching a novel in one hand and a light backpack across my shoulders as we boarded the airplane that would take us back to Japan. I had lived there for three or so years when I was younger, but my memories of that time were vague. The flight was long and I finished the novel well before we arrived and even managed to start on another one. The rest of the time I spent staring out the window, lost in my thoughts. I always got the window seat because Keiichiro had a problem with flying. Looking out the window, seeing how high up we were, always made him ill. 

After what seemed like forever, we arrived in Japan. It was dark by then and the city glittered with lights, looking much like its own galaxy. We grabbed our luggage and then called for a taxi to take us to the apartment complex where we would be spending the next few months. 

The apartment was a bit cramped. As I flicked on the lights I was greeted by a relatively small living area with a television and a few chairs. To the right a doorway led off to a bedroom with two twin beds, a fairly large closet, and two sets of drawers, off of that was a small bathroom with a shower. My spirits dropped even more as I realized there was no balcony anywhere. To the left was another closet with an ironing board hidden inside and a full kitchen. Ofcourse. A kitchen. 

Keiichiro walked past me into the bedroom and sat his laptop down on the bed furthest from the bathroom. I guessed he had already chosen his bed. 

"I know this isn't what you're used to, Ryou, but I hope you can make it your home, atleast temporarily..." he offered kindly. 

"This isn't my home," I muttered, "My home was with Mama and Papa. I'll never be able to call anywhere home again. Not now. Never." 

"Ryou..." he said softly. 

"Just stop with the pity party. I don't need it," I sniffed then looked off abruptly. 

Keiichiro sighed, then let me alone. After a night of restless sleep, I awoke before him and stalked outside, down the stairs, and into the sunlight. It made me feel a lot better to see that sun shining. I took in my surroundings. There was nothing to look at really, but Tokyo was most certainly noisey. I let out an annoyed sigh and sat down on the sidewalk, hugging my knees to me. 

I was getting used to the constant hum of traffic when I heard an unfamiliar rustling sound coming from a small clump of bushes to my right. I turned in the direction of the noise and crawled the few feet over to the opposite edge of the curb, snatching up a stick and poking it slowly into the bush. There was a soft sqeaking noise. I almost lost my balance and fell backwards. 

"Nani?" I wondered, poking into the bush again, swifter this time. Whatever it was on the other end grabbed hold of the stick and must have latched onto it. 

"Hey!" I protested. I yanked the stick away from it, and a furry gray ball came pouncing out of the bush. 

"A cat?" Finally noticing me, the thing's eyes widened in surprise and he began backing off slowly. 

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you," I reached out a hand slowly that the kitten cautiously inched forward to sniff, letting out another squeak. 

I leaned over and picked it up. The little cat squirmed in my grasp, kicking at my arm in attempts to escape, "Nyu!" 

"I said I'm not going to hurt you, neko," I repeated, stroking the area behind his ears. The kitten must have finally realized this and looked up at me with bright green eyes. I continued to pet him until he eventually curled up in my lap and dozed off. My hands brushed across the back of his neck, finding a collar there. 

"Ofcourse you would have a home to go back to..." I sighed, knowing the apartment complex didn't allow pets in the rooms anyway. I turned the collar around and studied the name tag. It glinted a bit in the early morning sunlight, proudly reflecting the charcters: A, ru, to, and his owner's address. 

"Never heard of a name like Aruto before..." I commented to the sleeping kitten. 

Around noon Aruto woke up, stretched, and bounded off quickly. I returned to the apartment, feeling a bit drowsy from the sun, and found Keiichiro cooking something or other. No surprise there. 

He looked up and saw me, offering a kind smile, then returned to what he was doing, but not before speaking, "Ryou, there's something we really need to talk about." 

I rested my arm against the doorframe, "Like what?" 

"How serious are you?" 

"How serious am I...?" I wasn't quite getting where he was going with this. 

"...About completing Professor Shirogane's 'Mew Project'?" 

I felt myself stiffen, "I **will** complete my father's project, Keiichiro! I don't care how long it takes, even if I have to do it alone, I w-" 

"Alright," he said, stopping my outburst, "First things first, though. I think your parents would have wanted you to complete school. That comes first. In the meantime..." He walked over to the table and picked up the classified section of the newspaper. "There's a very nice piece of property at the other end of the city. It's close to the park, but still isn't too far from things. We can't really expect to accomplish anything in a cramped apartment." 

"We?" I took the newspaper from him when he offered it, skipping over the price and focusing on the size of the piece of land, and the location. It seemed pretty much perfect. 

"Ryou, I'm sure you can do this alone, but I want to help you. I was your father's apprentice after all, perhaps I could be of some service..." 

I stared up at him, "Keiichiro?" 

"Yes, Ryou?" 

"How soon can construction start?" 

"Pretty much immediately, would be my guess." 

"And, Keiichiro?" 

"Yes, Ryou?" 

"...Thanks." 

Within the next couple of months, things began to move swiftly. Nobody else had inquired about the property yet, and after counting the number of zeroes after what we were willing to pay, the land holders quickly agreed to sell. 

"We need some sort of cover..." Keiichiro was saying. 

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, swinging my legs over the edge of the kitchen counter as I took a bite from an apple. 

"You know you aren't supposed to be up there..." 

I shrugged. 

Keiichiro let out a sigh, "I mean, we need a connection so that we will find the 'super ladies' more easily..." 

"I wonder why Papa's experiment has to involve girls..." I muttered, making a face. 

"Who knows? Aren't you supposed to be working on your studies?" he cocked an eyebrow at me. That guy didn't miss a beat, but did he really expect me to put off the actual project for another three years? 

"What about some type of a shop?" I offered. 

"Hmm... we could open up a cafe... I could cook and you could take orders and do dishes," Keiichiro murmured thoughtfully. 

"What? That has me doing **twice** as much as you!" I protested, "And aren't there laws about that?" 

"Cooking takes more time and we aren't in America anymore," he replied. 

Now I was **sure** he didn't miss anything. 

"Any objections?" 

"No... as long as the whole basement is a lab..." 

"Great! I think it should be pink." 

"What!" I nearly fell off my perch on the counter, "No way, Keiichiro! Pink's for girls! Make it blue..." 

"But pink will attract more people. Groups of people will probably come in after school. Who wouldn't want to order some teas and cake from a cute pink cafe?" 

"I wouldn't," I said matter-of-factly. 

I sighed again, "Guess it doesn't really matter, I won't have to live there." 

_A/N: Well, I think that will do it for the first chapter. It seemed like a good ending point. The next chapter will focus on the finalization of the Mew Project. I've had some ideas about what it's really like for Ryou and would like to insert them into this fanfiction. I think I might take up a whole chapter for that, but afterwards we'll skip the flashbacks and return to the present where stuff can actually happen. I honestly get stuck easily, so if you have any comments, complaints, or suggestions, please let me know. - Thanks and I hope you will join me for "Chapter 2: Taking Responsibility". ((SPOILER WARNING))_


	2. Taking Responsibility

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Chapter Two - Taking Responsibility

"Right, that should do it..." I announced calmly, letting one more drop of a greenish liquid fall from the tip of a pipet into a marked test tube. 

"Everything's fine here, Ryou," Keiichiro told me, checking to make sure that his ponytail was still fastened tightly so that it wouldn't get in his way. 

"Good," I pushed the test tube vertically up into an injection gun, flipped it quickly so there wouldn't be any air bubbles in the solution, and screwed the cap on tight, cocking it backwards until I heard a metallic click. 

Things had fallen into place without much trouble. We just needed five girls who were compatible with the Red Data Animals' DNA. It didn't seem like five individuals could make much of a difference, but as time went on, I had begun to believe. 

I had gotten my diploma over a year ago. It had been four and a half years since I had arrived in Japan. Since then I had undergone an annoying growth spurt which left me with few pants that would actually fit. My voice had deepened so that I felt awkward speaking at first. Most people refer to this as puberty. The schools here still hadn't done much for me, but atleast I didn't stumble home with a bloodied nose every evening. My professors recognized my potential and made their best effort to throw even more homework at me; calling on me often in class and asking me to lead debates. I also got a lot of attention from my peers, not all good. Unlike most people, I didn't join any clubs or fraternities. I didn't even join any of the sports teams. Instead, I would return to the tacky pink cafe where I lived and help Keiichiro serve customers and continue progress on my father's Mew Project. 

I turned my head up to a shelf. There was a cluster of five different viles there. Each had come from a different Red Data Animal, which would be our 'antidote' against the aliens' attacks. Each represented a different species. We had imported the Golden Lion Tamarin DNA from Brazil, where the monkeys' habitat was being threatened. The Ultramarine Lorikeet and Gray Wolf DNA came from Tahiti and America respectively. The Finless Porpoise sample we had collected ourselves during a recent boating trip. The final vile was closest to home. The Iriomote Wildcat lives in small numbers on Iriomote Island in the Okinawa prefecture of Japan. We had visited for a week and did not come across a single member of the feline's population. After we asked a few fellow scientists to keep a lookout for the cats, we had returned home empty-handed. A week ago Doctor Yamamoto had finally faxed me to report that he had two samples of the wilcat's DNA and asked me if I still wanted them. They had been shipped and arrived the previous day. The Iriomote Wildcat was decided to be used as the project's core, meaning that she would be the leader. Originally we thought about setting the Gray Wolf as the core, but decided against it. We had two samples of the cat DNA, if we should happen to fail, there was always the backup sample. 

"Let's call it a night," Keiichiro suggested finally, removing a pair of goggles from his face. 

"Okay..." I said, giving in to his concerned big brotherly look and switching off the lights. 

I wasn't ready for sleep. I changed out of my shirt and flicked on a lamp by my bed, deciding to thumb through a biology textbook for a while. This was actually going to happen. I smiled to myself. After everything that had occurred, the Mew Project was finally going to jump from dream to reality. I couldn't help but be proud. The computers would run a final scan on everything during the night, then all we'd have to do is figure out a way to find and inject the girls with the DNA. It would all be perfect. Perfect... I sat the book down, my eyes beginning to droop, and killed the light. Was it really perfect? The question gnawed away at a far corner of my brain. Suppose something went wrong? Suppose the DNA caused a mutation and one of the girls ended up dying? I didn't think that I could live with being responsible for something like that. 

"If only there was some way we could test it..." I muttered aloud, realizing there wasn't one. Curling up under the bedsheets and punching at the pillow a few times to fluff it, I finally drifted off, my head still filled with thoughts about the following months. 

- 

"It's finished," Keiichiro announced as he finally peeled his eyes away from the data that the computers had compiled during the night, "All we have to do now is use it on the girls." 

I tossed a stack of papers onto the desk area beside him with plans for machinery that would be able to inject them from a fair distance away. One of the chosen need only be outside. When that happened, a laser would absorb the genetic material and fire it as a beam. It was nearly full-proof. 

I finally asked the question that had been bugging me. Maybe I had a guilty conscience, I'm not sure. "Is this really safe, Keiichiro?" 

He looked up at me startled, "Ryou? How can you say that after all of the tests?" 

"The tests were on rats, Keiichiro. We're injecting humans this time." 

"You are the one who knows best how perfect our research is..." 

That was true. This was my responsibility. If something went wrong, the burden would be on my shoulders. My eyes fell onto the injection gun that was still lying there on the counter fully loaded. 

Keiichiro looked at me worriedly, then checked to make sure the computer was backing up the files properly. 

My hand moved cautiously towards the device and I slowly wrapped my fingers around the handle and picked it up, studying it critically. What would happen if I was the guniea pig? There was no one else I could ask. This was my duty. If for some reason there were side effects, the project would end up failing before it had truly begun. 

Keiichiro must have caught me out of the corner of his eye. He bolted from his seat with a startled look on his face, "Ryou! What are you trying to?" 

I ignored him and brought the gun up to my neck, replying seriously, "I entrust the rest of the research to you. This will be the final experiment." 

Keiichiro stood there with his jaw open and his brows knit in concern, but he didn't try to stop me. I felt my fingers tighten around the trigger as I looked back at him, afraid I was going to chicken out. Finally I gathered every ounce of willpower I could until the trigger snapped. There was a bright flash of light as a burning sensation entered my neck. At first it only felt like a bee sting, but soon pain was tearing into me and spreading out into every nerve of my body. It was almost unbearable. I started to panic, but as soon as I did so, another numbing wave of pain went to my brain so that I couldn't even think straight. I grabbed my head in my hands, but the motion added to the nauseous feeling in my stomach and everything starting spinning. The light which had started at the point of injection now flooded into my vision from all sides, causing my eyes to water and forcing me to shut them. I screamed. It felt as if my body was on fire and burning from the inside out and the outside in at the very same time. I wanted to die. If I was dead it wouldn't hurt anymore. Then my stomach lurched again and I could hear things shifting. And I was falling. Perhaps I really was dying. Another jolt of fear shot to my head as I realized I'd never see my parents again. The pain seemed to have reached a peak, but I continued to fall. My arms and legs were melting and it seemed as though my spine was lengthening to twice what it normally was. I landed on all fours, catching myself with my hands as my mind finally started to react normally again and the agony ceased. I opened my eyes slowly, cursing outloud. I blinked as my voice came out in a squeak. 

'Keiichiro, could you... give me a hand?' I requested through gritted teeth. I didn't think I'd ever be able to stand again after what had just happened. As Keiichiro bent down next to me, his eyes held more sorrow than I had ever seen in them before. He lifted me up easily. It was then that I realized that he was a giant. 

"We have now completed all of the experiments..." he whispered. 

I blinked my eyes again. What? _What..?_

Letting out another failed attempt of a syllable, Keiichiro pulled me close into a hug, "Now I will start the Mew Project, Ryou..." 

I felt weird. I noticed finally that some soft cloth was wrapped around my neck where I had injected the wildcat DNA. The DNA! I realized at that moment exactly what had happened. You had to have a specific gene type for the injection to be successful, otherwise... otherwise one would simply be turned into an animal. Was I going to be stuck as a cat forever? 

Keiichiro finally let me down as I tried to walk. He searched the safe for a small test tube of a clear liquid which seemed to radiate its own inner light. He sat that down and went to look for a needle and syringe after typing a few things into the open program. Results must have come back, as I could easily make out the sound of the machine processing information, but I had a hard time seeing anything. Everything was a weird mix of greens and blues, and my head still throbbed. I pricked my ears as Keiichiro's footsteps returned and he scooped me up again. 

"According to this data, you should be able to switch forms at will, however, if you remain a cat for more than ten minutes, you'll be stuck that way. You're lucky we have any of the Mew Aqua, or else you would already be trapped," he said. 

I felt the needle go into my arm. It felt like an ordinary needle, but within five minutes my head didn't hurt so much and my body felt lighter. The pain I had experienced only a few moments ago, seemed like a nightmare, and not something that had actually happened. There was another flash of light. I feared that the whole process would repeat itself, but it soon vanished and I stood beside Keiichiro... a normal-looking Keiichiro. The other colors of the visible spectrum soon returned to my eyes. 

"Ryou! You could have died!" he shouted at me. 

"No... I couldn't..." I muttered weakly. 

Keiichiro continued to scold me, saying it had been a stupid stunt to pull, especially since I had know that my gene type was not compatible. It does seem reckless now, but it hadn't at the time. 

He sighed exhaustedly, "I'm just glad you're okay... try to take it easy..." 

"...Yeah..." 

I climbed the steps to the kitchen a bit shaken, but otherwise I felt fine now. The cafe was closed for the weekend, so the only light source was coming through the domed ceiling which was comprised of a stained glass mural and a painted castle scene lining the window. I trudged towards the fridge and brought out a carton of milk. I had managed to gratefully down about half of it before Keiichiro returned to check on me and scolded me again for drinking it straight from the container. I knew there would be side effects. There always were. Now that I knew the DNA injection process would indeed work, and that the two sequences (from the animal and the human) would actually assimilate, I felt somewhat reassured. 

Over time I came to terms with the extra set of coding that existed within me. I tried my best to seem normal so as to keep Keiichiro off my back about it. I found myself drinking much more milk than usual, although I still preferred water over anything. I also noted that I was actually starting to have a taste for fish when I wouldn't have touched it before. My sleeping patterns hadn't really changed. I had expected them to, but it was just fine with me that they didn't. This way I could still pull an all-nighter when research required it. I had become more athletic. I could jump higher, run for longer periods of time (though not faster), and I also noticed a slight increase in upper body strength. That was about it. All of this was well and good, but those weren't the only changes. Headaches were frequent occurences. Sometimes they were so bad that I had to simply walk away and lie down on my bed for a while. They could last up to several hours at a time. There was also an effect on my attitude. I had phases where I became extremely irritable. These came and went without warning. 

"The day" drew near. We had chosen a nice peaceful Tuesday in the spring. The machinery was ready, we only needed to track down where each of the five were at the moment, catch them outdoors, and shoot. I sat up in my room, the collar I now insisted upon wearing in my left hand. I traced the outline of the scar with my right. I didn't need a mirror to tell where it was, because whenever I touched it my neck itched uncomfortably. I fastened the collar back around my neck and looked over at the unmade mess which was my bed. When I finally convinced myself to go over and straighten it up, R2000 floated down to me. It perched on my shoulder and alerted me that something was up. 

I rushed to the lab where Keiichiro was typing hurriedly, "What's up?" 

"Take a look at this, Ryou..." 

I rushed over to him as he brought up a window on the screen. In the window was a quicktime video of a perky-looking girl with red hair walking alongside some dark-haired boy who must be her boyfriend. She was... cute. She didn't, however, look like a fighter to me. I glanced over at the other side of the screen as Keiichiro brought up a scan. This was her. This girl's genes matched perfectly with that of the Iriomote Wildcat. 

"It's perfect," Keiichiro explained, "and I've already located the others. The future of the Earth is about to change." I fired up the machine. It hummed to life rapidly and began to glow a redish hue as it absorbed the fluids. I reached for the remote, a single red button. It was now or never. 

"Mew Project, Commence!" My finger pressed the launch button. 

"It's done..." I said a moment later. 

"Indeed. I guess now you want to go meet our top lady," Keiichiro smiled. 

"What?" 

"You know you do. Momomiya Ichigo now carries the same DNA you do, although she'll be able to use it." 

"Pfft. She's **supposed** to be able to use it..." I corrected. 

Keiichiro shook his head at me, still smiling, "Then go find out." 

"Maybe I will," I replied, trying to sound uninterested, but I was out the door within minutes. Maybe I was... a little interested in meeting this girl. But only a little. 

"R2000, begin tracking program," I ordered, poking the pink fuzzball that was now snoozing on my shoulder. It awoke, "Tracking, tracking!" 

"Right. Find me Momomiya Ichigo, Number 01, Iriomote Wildcat." 

"Found! Found!" R2000 responded quickly. 

"Location?" 

"Inohara Park!" 

_ sidenote: This refers to Ryou not believing that he'd go to Heaven to be with his parents because he had not done anything good with his life to redeem himself... without knowing this, my sentence doesn't make much sense. ; _

A/N: Decided to stop there or else I'd be up all night redoing the entire first battle. X-X And so I leave you, the readers, with a question. Should I continue with flashbacks and retelling of key moments throughout the fanfic, or should I stop with these and keep going from the present until the end? My other question is whether or not you all think that I should make this a Ryou x Ichigo fanfiction. I won't necessarily stick them together at the end, but I'm asking if you want me to highlight the relationship that they do have. If not, it'll focus more on Ryou on his own, with all of the girls mentioned equally, and no real preference among them. If you want him with Ichigo, I can throw romance in, if not, I'll leave it out. It's up to you because I can go either way, but I really don't want to pair him with any of the other girls. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and please stay tuned for "Chapter 3: Poolside Reunion".


	3. Poolside Reunion

﻿ _A/N: Note to Plum-chan, this story mostly follows the anime and not the manga. I thought I'd do that because the anime laid down more backstory that I could expand on. For instance, in the manga Ryou is at home when the mansion bursts into flames, and in the anime he and Keiichiro are driving back when they see the smoke. I also followed the anime in the testing and injection scenes. A lot of things I made up myself, but I'm still trying to stick to the series so that the story will be more believable. Hope that clears a few things up. I'd still like to know whether or not you guys think I should make this a Ryou x Ichigo fic. Let me know! I really like getting comments back, and it really helps me write. Suggestions for improvement are always appreciated. Thanks. _

Also, for all of you writers; I'm having a short story contest at my website, Neko-Tokyo ). The deadline for that is December 1st and so far I only have a few entries. I will be turning the winner's story into a 5-10 page fanmanga. - It can be any pairing and with whatever Tokyo Mew Mew characters you want, just please keep it PG and NO fan characters. Sorry. You may use a Christmas theme if you wish, since the holidays are coming up. I hope you will consider entering. Thanks again and please enjoy Chapter Three. :bows: 

Chapter Three - Poolside Reunion

Above me the sky began darkening without warning, and the smell of rain soon came to my nostrils. I quickened my footsteps. As if on cue, drops of water began to cascade down from the clouds. Just great. I would have to find Ichigo during a rainstorm. _Just great._ Already this girl was proving to be a huge pain in the rear. 

"R2000, can you narrow down the location further?" I asked. 

"Scanning... eastern side, closest to the cafe..." it responded. 

"Right, atleast we aren't far." 

The robot then began reacting, "Chimera Anima! Chimera Anima!" 

"What! Now?" I gritted my teeth. This was not good. A Chimera Anima showing up when she wouldn't even have a clue? I had been hoping for atleast a little bit of time to explain things. She was definately going to freak out about this. "Then again... she is our ultimate weapon, and after we get that pendant to her, she should have no trouble whatsoever defeating an enemy, right?" 

"Right! Right!" 

"Thought so..." I focused again on where I was going. Trees began gathering on each side of me as I travelled deeper into the park. A few benches dotted the path. A fog had risen up and what had been clearly visible a moment before was now obscured. I cursed under my breath. Darn rain! 

"R2000, standby..." I concentrated on the nearest tree, the lowest branch. It looked sturdy enough to hold me. Concentrate... concentrate...! I leapt up into the air, my feet free from the ground, and the tree branch coming into my reach in slow motion. I grasped the limb in my hands and swung up to crouch there. I looked around, but the fog was still an issue. I cursed again, but at the same time, I heard a high-pitched scream. Obviously a girl. I whipped around and cleared the distance to the next tree, and then two more. I could finally make out the silhouette of something very large. That's when I heard an angry roar and another scream. The fog slowly began to clear and below me, in a panic, I recognized the girl that Keiichiro had brought up on the computer. A few yards away, where the shadow had been, was a huge rat whose eyes were focused dangerously on her. It let out another roar, raising it's arm to slash Ichigo in half. 

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" she screamed again. 

Time to play hero. I swooped down and snatched up the red-head before claws raked up the ground where we had just been standing. I leapt a little clumsily back onto the branch from which I'd come, forgetting to calculate the added weight in my rush. 

"Are you alright? Momomiya Ichigo?" 

Large amber eyes flew open and stared up at me in alarm. She really was pretty cute. Her hair was up in two high ponytails on each side of her head, framing a young face. She must have been walking home from school because she was still wearing her uniform which was a light shade of gray with red and white accents. I loosened my grip on her and she fell backwards onto the branch, still gaping at me and apparently speechless. 

She finally managed a, "How do you know my name?" 

"There's no time for that," I stated firmly, remembering the situation we were in. "First, defeat the monster." 

"What! Me?" she looked at me like I was crazy. The Chimera Anima had caught on to where we were and swiped at the branch with a growl. I scooped her up again, making her screech out of surprise, then landed in the next tree over. It was really hard to move when you were carrying someone. I dropped her. 

"Oof!" She looked panicked now and began inching away from me across the branch, giving me a "don't come any closer" look. 

"You know, you're heavier than you look," I commented. 

She glared at me, "Let go, you! Who exactly are you anyway!" 

"There's no time for that..." I repeated, keeping a wary eye on the rat. This was taking way too long. 

"Aoyama-kun..." she murmured. I noticed then that the boy I had seen with her before was now laying off to the side of the clearing unconscious. If that was the case, she had the will to fight. She only needed the pendant. Her back was to me, so I gave her a rough shove and her body fell forwards. She screamed again but as she plummeted from the tree, her body twisted until she landed upright and on her feet. Her expression was still mixed with fear and confusion. So she really was the one... I fidgeted in my side pocket for the pendant I was carrying with me and called down to her. Ichigo's head shot up when I did so. 

"Momomiya Ichigo! You have been chosen. Take this, Mew Ichigo!" With that I hurled the pendant down to her. 

I still remembered all of the details from that day. How she had transformed and clumsily battled with the Chimera Anima, how the cat genes had taken over and given her courage to fight, how she had started crying afterwards as she demanded to know what was going on... how her body felt when I had taught her to dance at the party, the expression on her face as a gray kitten transformed before her eyes, the serene smile she had given me the day I finally let her go... 

"Well done! Wasn't that a great success!" I inquired excitedly. She had actually done rather well all things considered. In time, I was certain she could accomplish much more for the Mew Project. 

"I don't understand any of this! So, explain yourself!" she ordered, eyes brimming with tears after her first real battle as Mew Ichigo. She hovered over her boyfriend who was still unconscious. I stopped a few feet away, my excitement fading as I realized how upset sge actually was. Studying her for a moment, I knelt down beside her, lifting her chin with my hand so she was looking at me, "Don't cry. I told you. You're the chosen one." 

I suppose it had always been hopeless. I had actually started to love Ichigo, yet I always knew that her heart belonged to Aoyama Masaya. Perhaps I had atleast convinced her that I wasn't a heartless jerk. Hopefully. But I doubted it. I shook my head. _Baka, you better have a really good excuse for not visiting._

Awakening from my dreams and memories, I shoved the covers aside, rose, and stretched out. Sunlight filtered through my window, letting me know that it was around the middle of the day. I slid on a shirt and trudged downstairs to the empty kitchen to fix myself a quick breakfast. To tell the truth, I'm a horrible cook, but I wasn't about to starve. I had an interview today. In the afternoon I was scheduled to meet with the manager of the local pool. Hopefully he'd hire me so I could do work to occupy my time. On the phone he had seemed somewhat interested in my surfing experience. I'm not a particularly strong swimmer, but I'm observant, and know how to act fast when I have to. Surely they could always use another lifeguard. The girls would have laughed if they knew their "boss" was going to interview for such a position. 

- 

The smell of chlorine greeted me as I abandoned my motorbike and climbed the path to the outdoor pool. There were a few picnic tables scattered about the area, complete with neon-colored umbrellas for shade. Folding chairs formed a ring around the pool which was fairly large and heated. I tapped on the door to the manager's office with my knuckle and was bid entry. The door swung open to reveal a middle-aged man finishing up a discussion with a girl of about my age. 

"One moment..." he appologized to me, not bothering to look up, "Just be more careful next time. Those chemicals aren't cheap and we had to drain the entire pool because of them. When you treat the water, measure away from the pool... okay?" 

"Yes, sir. I'm really really sorry..." the girl bowed deeply. She pushed a strand of green hair back behind her ear, her cheeks pink with embarassment. 

"I know you are. Just remember that next time," he said, smiling at her reassuringly. 

"I'm sorry..." she repeated. 

"...Lettuce?" 

The girl turned with a slight gasp, her eyes wide with surprise, and her face flushed, "Sh-shirogane-san?" 

The manager chuckled, "I take it you guys know one another. Call me when you're done, Ryou..." 

"Um, sure..." I muttered as he left the room. 

"Nice to see you again... how are things going?" I offered her a smile. 

"You really surprised me. I haven't seen you in ages, Shirogane-san... um, I'm doing well..." she brightened, her cheeks still red, "How are things going at the cafe?" 

"Slow..." I replied carefully, "Actually, it's just me right now." 

"Oh! Then, where is Akasaka-san?" 

"He's off in Egypt," I grumbled. 

"I see... Hope it isn't too lonely there by yourself. If you want, I could come visit, I mean, if I wouldn't be imposing..." she suggested slowly. 

"Nah. It's okay, you don't have to." 

"Well, it would be no trouble..." she added cautiously. 

"Only if you really want to," I answered. 

"I do!" she said with a laugh. Lettuce fidgeted a bit, "What brings you here... if you don't mind my asking?" 

"I came here looking for a job..." I stated simply. 

"I see," she murmured, trying to be polite but I could tell she was not altogether buying it. 

"I heard a rumor you were a lifeguard now, but I figured you probably worked at the beach..." 

"Oh no," Lettuce shook her head quickly, "I work right here. Most of the time I just do clean up, however..." She fidgeted again slightly, then made a deep bow. As she did so I noticed that her mark had completely disappeared. No trace of it was left. "I really should be getting back to work. Good luck with your interview; I know the manager will hire you. It was nice seeing you again." 

"Likewise. Take care." 

The girl offered me a final shy smile before leaving the room. Her absence was soon replaced by the manager returning. 

"So, Mr. Shirogane..." he greeted. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir." 

"It's quite alright," he answered, sinking down into his chair and looking me over. "So, you want to be a lifeguard..." 

"Yes... sir," came my smooth reply, although it was a lie. 

"I hear you surf a lot, have you ever competed?" he asked curiously. 

"No." 

"Shame," he sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Well, we'll see how you do for a week. You seem to be in pretty good physical shape. Besides, maybe you can get Lettuce to try harder." 

I watched him as he lit a cigarette, "Lettuce was once my employee at the cafe. She's a hard worker, sir..." 

"You know what I mean. She's a nice girl but she's clumsy." 

"But she tries," I added. 

"...yes she does," he finally admitted, "I'll see you tomorrow at 8AM?" 

"Ofcourse, thank you sir," I bowed slightly and walked out from the shortest interview session one could imagine. The sun was bright, making me squint as I made my way back to where my bike was parked. 

"...you didn't have to do that." 

I shielded my eyes with a hand and turned to see Lettuce watching me. She had since changed into a swimsuit. I grinned at her slightly, "I felt like it. You were eavesdropping." 

"I-I..." she paused as her face flushed a bit, "Bad habit I picked up from the girls... have you heard from them, Shirogane-san?" 

"Not from _them_... You should probably get back to work." 

"I'll come visit the cafe sometime... maybe we can talk about it then?" she offered. 

"Ok." I nodded as she retreated back inside the ring of lounge chairs. 

The drive home was a quiet one. The wind felt good against my face and helped to wake me up fully. I switched the lights back on upon my return and paced across the dining area to the answering machine on the counter. No messages. It figured. 

The silence then was about enough to drive me insane, so I switched on the stereo and allowed a melody to drift about the room. 

"_Alone / It's like being in a crowded room with no familiar faces / Alone / It's like thinking that I see your face in unfamiliar places / Alone / It's waking up to an empty bed you used to lay your head on / Alone / And I don't wanna be alone anymore._" 

- 

"Welcome home," Keiichiro's voice echoed in my head, "Welcome back." 

I remember turning around to see my best friend standing there in the middle of the cafe. His face a mixture of sympathy and relief. I had walked over to him, "I **am** back, aren't I Keiichiro?" 

"You look worn out..." Keiichiro had commented. 

"Ofcourse," I replied sarcastically, "You saw. It's tough work helping to save the world..." 

"And even tougher watching the person you care about walk away with someone else, I'd imagine... Why didn't you say anything to her?" 

I fell forward against Keiichiro's chest then, my eyes welling with tears in one of the few times I had broken down in my life. I wasn't one to cry. Crying wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't erase the past. 

"Tell her **what**, exactly, Keiichiro! What am I supposed to tell her...? She chose Aoyama a long time ago... I don't care if she thanks me for anything or not... It doesn't matter anymore... I let her go. I've screwed her life up enough already. It's over now. I'm _glad_ it's over." 

"Yes, it's over. You should be proud..." he replied. 

"It-it's over-" I choked. Nobody came back to check up on me. Lettuce had called the next day to ask if there was work, but I didn't talk to the others again until they had come inquiring as to why they could no longer transform. And then there was the mock wedding. 

- 

Clearly the music was not helping, it was only bringing me back to the past. I wanted so desperately to escape that past. I rummaged through the cabinets and gathered items necessary to whip up a quick sandwich. I ate it infront of my laptop, holding the sandwich in one hand and typing with the other. No new e-mail. No new news. No unusual readings. I felt like I had been locked off from the rest of the world. A knock on the door interrupted me from my depressive mood. I arose and went to let my guest in. It was Lettuce. 

"I didn't think you were coming today..." I said when I saw her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll leave if I'm interrupting you!" said Lettuce as she bowed appologetically. 

"No, no it's fine. I just didn't expect it- come in," I swung the door open the rest of the way, "Can I get you anything?" 

"No, that's okay, I'm fine," she answered, finding a seat at a center table. I followed and sat down across from her. 

"Um, well... you looked really lonely today, so..." 

"I looked lonely?" 

She studied me for a moment and then nodded, "I haven't seen Ichigo-san or the others either. I did see Pudding-san in the park once from a distance, but there was a crowd and I was in a rush... We've all drifted apart... The Mew Project was what brought us together... and... it seems like it was the _only_ thing holding us together. I... I hate to bring up the past, but I've really come to miss that." 

"So have I..." I muttered. 

She offered me an encouraging smile, "But, there has to be some way we can get in contact with them right? Can we not schedule a gathering?" 

I shook my head, "I don't know how to get in touch with them. Assuming Mint and Pudding live in the same residences as they did three years ago, we could probably get a hold of them, but as for Zakuro..." 

"And Ichigo-san?" 

I shook my head again and looked away, "I have no idea where she is." 

"I see..." she murmured sadly. 

"It was a good thought, but..." I let my voice trail off. 

"Well, I won't give up even if you do," she said boldly, "I'll find them somehow, and we can all be together again. Even if only for a short while..." 

"Lettuce..." 

"No, I'm serious. I'm sure that this wasn't meant to be the end. We all had such a strong friendship. I get the feeling that you miss them even more than I do..." 

"Doubtful." 

"Shirogane-san..." 

"Possible." 

"I'll make us some tea," she offered, standing up. 

"There's no need." 

"No, no. I want to," she said firmly, rushing off to the kitchen. Within minutes a glass of hot raspberry tea sat infront of me. 

"Thanks..." 

"Sure," she said lightly. 

"You're right. I **do** miss them, Lettuce. The cafe's too quiet... that's why I applied for the job..." 

"I see. Well, I'm glad he's considering giving it to you. That way I'll be able to see more of you." 

I smiled slightly and took a sip of the tea. 

"Does it taste alright?" 

"Yeah. Thanks. Better than I could do." 

"I'm glad," she smiled, taking a sip from her own cup. 

We continued talking for about 2 hours. Lettuce was not going to give up on the girls and asked me if I could do an internet search on Zakuro and Ichigo's whereabouts. I told her I'd try, but for her not to get her hopes too high, and Lettuce said she'd be giving the Fong residence and the Aizawa mansion a visit. 

"Thanks for coming, Lettuce," I said politely as I opened the door for her. It was getting dark. 

"Sure. See you tommorrow," she said with a smile and a bow. 

"Yeah. See you." 

Lettuce hurried off. I checked the clock. Stupid. She had probably missed eating with her family on account of me. She was so selfless. 

_A/N: Sorry that the chapters are so short... well, they seem short to me. I got stuck on this one towards the end because I stopped writing for a while. _

I did a search for the song used in this chapter and found one right away that I thought fit rather well. It's called "Alone" by Joe. Never heard the song but if someone could find it for me, that'd be awesome. 

I've decided that I will be making this a Ryou x Ichigo fiction since more people seem to want that than not. Who knows whether they'll be together in the end or not, though. I'm not sure how or whether to add in the other girls or the aliens, so suggestions are appreciated. And don't worry about Keiichiro, because he'll be back from Egypt before the story's over. Thanks for sticking with me and please stay tuned for "Chapter 4 - Ripple on the Water". Lame title, I know. X-x


	4. Ripple on the Water

﻿ 

Chapter Four - Ripple on the Water

"Hey, genius boy!" came a voice, followed by a few snickers. A young boy, no more than ten years old, looked up to find a gang of troublemakers surrounding him with smirks on their faces. Me. 

"Guess he doesn't play sports..." one of the other boys mused. 

"You kidding? He's too puny." 

"I wonder how he fights..." 

"He'll probably throw his books at us." The group broke into mean laughter, then the so-called 'leader' grabbed me roughly by the collar, hoisting me to my feet. 

"What? Can't you talk, bookworm?" 

"I prefer not to involve myself with bullies like you..." I replied. 

"Is that so? Hey... your dad's a scientist, right? Yeah, I read about his crazy research in the newspaper..." 

"My father's research isn't crazy! Everything he's been studying is to benefit mankind," I spoke up boldly. 

"Whatever, kiddo. Changing people into animals sounds pretty crazy to me. And for speaking out of turn, you'll have to taste my fist," the leader replied, pulling back his arm to get a good swing at me. I caught the fist in my hand, but then he swung his other fist at me and planted it firmly into my cheek, making me stumble backwards into the tree I had been leaning against. 

"C'mon, smarty, you'd better fight back unless you want me to bruise the other side of your face." 

"My mother told me to avoid fights," I said quietly. 

"Bet she's an old hag..." one of the boys commented. 

"...and probably as crazy as his old man." 

I could feel my blood boiling. It was one thing if they were going to tease or bully me. It was a completely different matter if they were going to target Mama and Papa. 

"Ooh... he's getting mad. Hey, whatcha gonna do about it?" 

"..." 

"I asked you what you were gonna do about it, wimp!" 

I jammed my elbow into the leader's gut, causing him to let me go as he coughed a bit and spat on the ground. I didn't bother to retrieve my textbooks, instead I took off at a sprint. 

"Get him!" the leader yelled. I could hear voices as the other boys began pursuing me. I had made it nearly halfway home when I was tackled and wrestled to the ground. I arrived home that day with bruises. 

"My, my... what do we have here, a patient?" my mother asked as I entered the living room. I said nothing, merely took a seat on the sofa across from her. She shook her head lightly, rising to fish the first aid kit from the cabinet, and settled back down. "Ryou, if you keep coming home like this, someday I'll become a real doctor," she mused as she gave me a warm smile. 

"What can I do about it?" I asked her quietly, "I tried to avoid it..." 

She smiled sympathetically, "Here. Let me see that arm." 

I did as I was told, continuing as she began rubbing the wounds with alcohol, "They're the ones who start it. I was minding my own business... but I had to fight back..." 

She giggled then. I frowned up at her. Why was she laughing? "What's so funny?" 

"I'm just happy to have a son who gives me so many problems," was her answer. 

"...aren't you going to scold me?" 

She smiled again, "I won't scold you. You're not in the wrong, are you?" 

"So... I have a mother who doesn't give me problems..." I commented. 

"Let's just say that I trust you. Here. Don't move." 

I shifted as she came towards my nose with a bandage. I was pretty sure it was broken. Pain. I shot backwards. "Ow! It hurts!" 

She chuckled at me good-naturedly, touching my nose lightly with her finger, "It's because you moved. I don't think it's broken." 

"I think it is..." I grumbled at her. 

She shook her head, her blond hair dancing around her shoulders, "Let's see you wiggle that nose." 

"I can't. I told you I broke it," I protested. 

"Just try, then..." she encouraged. My nose was not too happy about what happened next, but I managed to wiggle it slightly. 

"I told you it wasn't broken," Mama insisted. 

"It still hurts..." I complained. 

"Well, take it easy and get some rest and bit by bit it won't hurt as much." 

"It'd hurt less if Papa taught me how to defend myself." 

She sighed pleasantly, shifting from her position on the low table to sit beside me. 

"Mama?" I asked. 

"Yes, Ryou?" 

I fidgeted a bit. I hated asking, "Can I...?" 

She chuckled, "Ofcourse you can, silly boy. He or she is your sibling after all." I smiled shyly, resting my head lightly against my mother's stomach, picking up the peaceful harmony of two seperate heartbeats. The sound of life. 

My mother stroked my head softly. It baffled me how anyone could care so much for others. I wasn't jealous at all. I knew Mama would have enough love for me, Papa, my little brother or sister, Keiichiro, **and** everyone else in the world. "You'll help me choose a name, right, Ryou?" 

I turned my blue eyes up at her, grinning, "Ofcourse! You're going to need a lot of help with her. Not just with the name." 

"What makes you think the baby is a her?" 

"I dunno," I admitted, "I'm just kind of hoping she is... I want to be her big brother and make sure nothing bad happens." 

My mother chuckled again, "I'm sure you'll make a good big brother either way, Ryou. Very sure." 

- 

I stood frowning into a tall mirror as I tried on a pair of swimming trunks. They'd do well enough, but in that bright shade of orange, the attire made me look like I had come from _Baywatch_ - without the body. I could defend myself and knew a minimal amount of martial arts moves, but I had always been skinny and long-legged. Keiichiro made fun of me sometimes, joking that in a cafe I should atleast have a bit of 'sugar fat' on me. I shook my head, grabbed a jacket, and headed for the pool. 

It was a humid day, great for staying in the water or hiding away under an umbrella. Even greater for staying indoors with the air conditioning at full blast. I had no trouble spotting Lettuce in her lime green suit. She waved her fingers at me shyly and continued about setting up umbrellas. I clocked in and headed towards the pool itself. It was still early and already most of the chairs were occupied. I was not a morning person at all, so I hoped I wouldn't have to carry on a long conversation with anyone, unless they wanted to see me at my worst. 

I made my way to my post, which was under a large umbrella that hovered slightly out over the water, attached to a tall chair. From my experience, lifeguards typically didn't do much, and with a nice spot in the shade, who would want to move? I glanced around at the other two guards. One was leafing through a magazine and the other was off in a corner, flirting with a cluster of girls. Even from this distance, I could tell that a few of them were eyeing me closely. I absolutely **hated** that. It reminded me of the way girls go about their shopping, looking a skirt up and down five hundred times before buying it. _Is it formal enough? Is it too casual? Will it hold up long? Am I really in the mood? Is it worth the money? Will it make me look fat?_ I shook my head, resting my chin in my hand and surveying the pool. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. 

A little girl tossed a ball up in the air, but didn't catch it in time, and it splashed down in the water. She grabbed for it, noticed I was watching her, then turned her bright eyes up at me in a smile and waved. I made a slight saluting motion with my hand before scanning the rest of the area. Everything seemed alright to me. As long as it stayed this... 

"Hiya!" came a very high-pitched voice. I turned boredly to see one of the girls standing next to my post. She rested her weight against one of the chair legs, giggling slightly, "It's a nice day, eh? You new?" 

"Yeah," I said shortly. Another giggle. Apparently I had already been swamped. 

"Don't be shy. We won't bite," came a new voice. 

"So how old are you?" 

"Are you single?" 

"Are you straight?" 

"Do you have a name to go along with the tan, Tiger?" 

There was a chorus of laughter then. This was exactly what I hated. 

"Look, I'm not interested..." I growled. 

"...oh. I guess... you don't like girls..." one sighed. 

"That's not what I mean," I said quickly. 

"Then why _else_ would you reject us?" 

"Because he already gave his heart to another girl!" a voice spoke up boldly. A very familiar voice. I jumped slightly, then spun to see Lettuce standing nervously at the back of the crowd. 

"What did you say, Four-Eyes?" one girl inquired angrily. 

"I... I-I said... he gave his heart to another girl, right, Shirogane-san?" 

"Is this true!" another girl practically shrieked. 

After a while I realized what Lettuce was doing, "Yeah, it's true..." 

"Hmmph. Figures..." Slowly the swarm of girls began to break up, leaving only Lettuce. 

"You know... it really is pretty obvious, Shirogane-san... um..." she tried. 

"What is?" I asked. 

Lettuce looked up at me, smiling with a sort of sad look on your face, "I'll be honest... I... I've always liked you, Shirogane-san. You, like the girls, helped me so much by showing me how to find inner strength and confidence... and... I had always hoped that maybe... maybe... but..." she shook her head, forcing that trace of sadness away, "I knew that you loved Ichigo-san. Even though she was in love with Aoyama-san, you still went out of your way to rescue her... and... perhaps I'm wrong... but... I don't think these feelings were limited to the Mew Project... I think... that, even if she wasn't Mew Ichigo, you still would have rescued her all those times... uh... ah!" she covered her mouth quickly, blushing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's none of my business really, but..." 

"It's okay..." I murmured. 

"Uh?" 

"I said it's okay. You don't have to appologize. I'm glad that I could be of help... and... I'm sorry that-" 

"No, no, daijoubu," she said reassuringly, "You don't need to appologize for your feelings. No one can change those. What you can do, however, is make it up to yourself, by finding Ichigo-san and- ah! I'm so stupid! I'm prying again!" she hopped on one foot nervously. 

I chuckled, "Don't worry about it... however, I let her go. I don't think I can do that." 

"Oh... Shirogane-san..." 

"Lettuce." 

"...yes?" 

"You can call me 'Ryou'." 

"No, I couldn't, really!" 

"I'm asking you to." 

"Uh-" 

"Kyaa! Help me!" came a scream. I bolted up in my seat, searching frantically for any sign of movement. 

"HELP!" 

"She's- Over there!" Lettuce shouted, pointing. 

I followed the length of Lettuce's arm and finally spotted that same little girl, towards the deep end of the pool, struggling to keep her head above the water. I blew my whistle loudly, causing everyone to clear towards the edges of the pool. I dove from where I was, the cold liquid cutting into me as I leapt. Working my arms, I made my way over to her as quickly as possible, pushing a body that was still recovering from the jump. I surfaced, gasping for breath, then dove down again. I could see the form sinking, her hair flowing behind her in slow motion. I snatched the child up in my arms, pushed against the cement bottom, and shot up again, breaking into sunlight. One of the other lifeguards was there, and took her carefully from my arms as I yanked myself out, dripping. 

"Had to make a splashy entrance, huh?" one of the girls from before asked. 

"Okay, and 1, 2, 3... breathe!" one man shouted instructions to the lifeguard whose hands were positioned near the girls middle. The man was giving her mouth-to-mouth. 

"Again... 1, 2, 3...!" he yelled again. 

The little girl finally coughed out chlorine-water, her eyelashes fluttering as eyes opened again to see a crowd around her. 

"Papa..." she sobbed, clinging to him, trembling. 

"Thank goodness..." a lady in the crowd murmured. 

"That was a foolish jump, kid..." the other lifeguard pointed out, tossing a towel in my direction. "You could have just used the pole, would have been safer... you could have hurt yourself when you dove into the shallow end..." 

"Yeah..." I said, flushing slightly. "I wasn't exactly trained..." 

"Use the pole next time... bleeding." 

"Eh?" 

"Your hand... you're bleeding..." he repeated. 

"Ah... oh." 

"Crazy stunt!" the third lifeguard exclaimed, coming forward at last. 

"Where were you?" the older lifeguard asked. 

"Busy, man. I was busy with the babes!" 

- 

"Done!" Lettuce announced as she pulled the bandage tight around my hand. 

"Arigatou... I'm beginning to regret attempting this... I looked like an idiot back there..." 

"No you didn't! You actually, looked pretty cool... however... that was rather dangerous, Ryou-san..." 

"Uh-huh..." 

"But it definately wasn't stupid. You rescued that girl, anyways." 

"I suppose so," I admitted. 

"Yeah, well, I'll be going home now..." I stood. 

"Your shift is over already?" she asked me. 

"Yeah, yours will be too. It'll rain soon." 

"But it was sunny just a moment ago... oh... I see..." 

As we stepped back outside, the sky clouded over and large drops began to fall onto the cement, sizzling faintly as each one touched the heated surface. 

"Ichigo-san could do that also," she commented. 

"I know." 

"Will you be back?" Lettuce asked calmly. 

I thought about it for a second, "Not sure..." 

"You should give it another try." 

"Maybe... but that'll just slow the search down..." 

"Ryou?" her eyes widened slightly. 

"The search... it'll go quicker if I put all my energy into finding them, eh?" 

Lettuce smiled slightly, "Yes." 

I grinned as well, "Well, I'll see you around." 

"Yes!" she smiled broadly. 

Thunder boomed off in the distance, a warning to everyone to search for cover to wait out the upcoming storm. As I made my way to my bike, a group of people passed by. I normally wouldn't have paid any notice, but some movement caught my attention. I whirled. 

"Hey!" I shouted to no one in particular. 

The group paused for a moment, the rain obscurring my view. Bodies blurred together. One member seperated from the group and took off at a brisk walk. Maybe it was only to escape the downpour, but maybe not. Something told me to follow it. I darted after it. 

When I rounded a corner, I saw the person take off at a sprint in another direction. 

"Hey, Stop!" I shouted, picking up speed. 

A bolt of lightning sliced the sky above me, making me flinch slightly. The figure had stopped, and whoever it was, seemed to be looking in my direction. 

"Hold on a second! Who are you!" I yelled. 

It turned again and hurried up a hillside towards the park. I stumbled up the muddy bank afterwards, panting. As we reached a clearing, I finally realized exactly what I had been following, but I could not continue. I bent over, heaving for breath. My heart beating a mile a minute. 

It turned and came back towards me, taking smooth steps which made it seem almost as if it's body was a part of the rain. 

My eyes trailed up towards the face, the eyes. 

"-o," I gasped, the syllables lost between my breathing and the pounding of the rain. 

_A/N: Really not too happy with how this chapter came out. I think I rushed on it, so I might redo it later. Any suggestions would be wonderful. I know it's been a while already, but I'm low on ideas. x.x; _

I came up with the end of the chapter long before I knew how to get there. I thought the stranger in the rain would be a good image to start chapter 5 off with. So, stay tuned to "Chapter 5 - Of Light and Shadow" to find out just who this person is. Thanks, Nya!


	5. Of Light and Shadow

﻿ _A/N: For some reason, my page breaks didn't show up before. I put them there to seperate memories and scenes, so I appologize for any confusion. I will try to fix this problem and fix up some typos so the story will be a little bit easier to follow. As always, suggestions are very appreciated. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Without further ado... enjoy._

Chapter Five - Of Light and Shadow

"-akuro. Fujiwara Zakuro," I finally managed. 

The actress' mouth curled slightly up in a smile, "Seems you've gotten a bit more foolish over the years." 

"Nah, it just seems that way," I said, recovering from the marathon run. "What are you doing here? I figured you were off shooting a movie in America." 

"I was, but there was a change of plans. Still, I won't be here for very long," she explained, brushing back violet hair with her hand. Even in the rain, Zakuro could look remarkable. 

"Well, Lettuce will be glad that you've come back, even for only a few days. I think she's really been missing all of yo-" I started, but Zakuro interrupted me harshly. 

"She can't know I came back! No one can know." 

"Zakuro?" _Why was she acting this way?_

"Some of the paparazzi have figured out that I was Mew Zakuro, if they saw me with the other girls again, they would put two and two together. I'm used to the attention of the media. I know how to deal with it, but... the others... they live normal lives. It would be bad if the media interrupted that." 

I heard what she was saying. It made perfect sense. Zakuro was already famous worldwide. Her face was on billboards across the globe. Everyone knew her name, could hum her songs, could mimic her poses... But the others, they were normal girls. Just your average group of highschool girls. If they were revealed, their personal lives would be in jeopardy. I had never even considered that possibility back when the Mew Project was first launched. How could I have been so selfish? 

"I'm... sorry..." 

Zakuro shook her head, "Never mind that. I'm not done." 

"Oh..." 

"Do you even _know_ where the others are?" 

"Uh... no. Just Lettuce." 

"Mint and her family moved out of Tokyo about a year ago. They now live near Kyoto." 

"Zakuro..." 

"I've not heard from Pudding," she added. 

"I hear she still performs at the park on occasion," I stated in answer to that. 

She gave a smile, "That's not surprising." 

"Ichigo?" 

"Hmm?" she looked at me quizically. 

"I'm asking if you've heard from Ichigo. At all. Since the Mew Project ended." 

Zakuro watched me for a second through keen blue eyes, as if she was debating whether or not I was worthy enough to be let in on her information. 

"I scolded Mint for calling, but even so she continues to contact me on occasion. I have explained the situation to her..." she stopped, watching me again. I waited. 

She grinned slightly, looking away, "As for Ichigo... I only talked to her once. It was about nine months ago. She said that she and Masaya were coming back from England. Their relationship seems to be as strong as ever. Masaya got into a top university in Japan, so I'd guess he'd be back to attend classes this fall." 

"Oh." 

"But I'm sure you have checked up on everyone many times." 

"No," I answered simply. 

"So... and why not?" 

"It's none of my business." 

"It isn't, eh? Then I'm wondering why you followed me. You say it's none of your business, but if you're a friend, it would be your business." 

"Lettuce and I are trying to find the others... but from what you say, a reunion of sorts would seem to be out of the question." 

"Then, I hope that you find them. You'll let me know?" 

"How am I supposed to let you know?" 

"Well, if you and Mint talk, I'm sure to hear about it," she said. 

"I see." 

"Fujiwara-san, let's go! We have to be at the studio in twenty minutes!" a voice called from below. 

"I'll be going. Take care of yourself," she announced without emotion. She was still as impossible to read as ever. 

"Same at you. Ja ne." 

Her figure retreated down the hillside and out of view, hidden by the fog and the rain. Mint had once described her as a marble muse. Then again, Zakuro was practically a goddess in Mint's eyes. It was hard not to see why. 

Despite the events on that first day, I returned to the pool atleast once a week for lifeguard duty. The more responsible of the two other guards, Bob, showed me a few things I didn't know - mainly how to use this ridiculously long pole to pull a drowning person to safety - but more importantly, he showed me how to get rid of the same giggly group of girls that always seemed to appear. That was my day job, anyways, at night I'd do my usual check up on Tokyo. Each time my results came up clear. No alien activity. No dangerously high pollutant levels. No rampant diseases. No Mew Ichigo. _Stupid!_

On one such night, I scolded myself for being so unfocused. Ofcourse, what was there to focus on? It was obvious that there was no longer a need to survey the city. Humans would have to protect the Earth by their own hands. It wasn't that there was no need, but that Tokyo Mew Mew no longer existed. I still hadn't convinced myself, though I attempted to. Each time I tried to forget, tried to move on, or tried to "get a life", memories would flood back to me. 

- 

"Ne, Shirogane, why did you choose this dress?" Ichigo asked, holding the glass of juice I had offered her only a moment before. 

I raised an eyebrow at her. I really didn't think it was a big deal, but she persisted. Ichigo's hair hung down in curls, much longer than it seemed to be on any other day. I eyed my work again. It was a delicate thing. Pink. Decorated with burgandy ribbon and flowers that resembled snowdrops. The dress itself flared out at an odd angle, with another creamy white piece underneath. 

"I thought it would look good on you," I stated simply (and truthfully), "If you don't like it, you can change." 

"N-no... that's not what I meant..." she protested as a light breeze blew through her hair. I noticed then that her bangs were out of place. I knew how particular girls could be about their hair. 

Taking a step forward, the motion caused the girl infront of me to draw back a bit. 

"Don't move," I ordered quietly. 

Instead of the usual protest, she obeyed. I reached forward with a gloved hand to brush against her hair gently. She closed her eyes nervously until I pulled away again. 

"Your bangs... were a little out of place..." I explained softly. She watched me blankly, then blinked, trying to process what I had just done. 

_'Say something to her, Ryou! Maybe if you said something nice to her for a change, she wouldn't think you were a jerk!'_ I commanded myself inwardly. I stared back at her for a second, wondering what I could possibly say, but nothing ever came. I turned. 

"Well... I have greetings and such to take care of..." I muttered, walking away, "so... come back when you've calmed down..." 

I could feel her eyes on my back from the balcony as I continued across the ballroom floor and scolded myself silently. 

_'She was right there, you nerd! Right there! And you couldn't think of **anything**!'_ I yelled. When I passed Keiichiro, he gave me a little knowing smile, then paced off to speak with some of the other guests. I walked off alone wthout shaking a single hand. I remember spending a good fifteen minutes out on another balcony, brooding. The breeze was nice, but didn't accomplish much else. It didn't bring me the words I should have said. To this day, I don't know what I should have said back then, or what I'd say if I saw her now. 

- 

Lettuce hummed to herself, flitting back and forth up the stairs, disappearing each time with more and more of my clothing. Though I appeared to be reading, I was actually watching the entire scene with slight amusement. The green-haired girl squeaked as a pair of boxers fell from the pile and landed on the cafe floor. Going into panic mode, she dropped half a dozen other articles. I fought back a chuckle, but a smile still passed across my lips. 

"Need some help?" 

Lettuce turned several shades of crimson, facing me nervously, "Ah- ah... no, no I'm fine! I-I thought you were... thought you were reading!" 

"Kinda... are you sure you don't need any help with that? ...you really don't need to do that..." 

"I wanted too!" she accidentally yelled in frustration, cupping her hands to her mouth immediately after her outburst. Another five shades of crimson for Lettuce and about six for me. 

Recovering, she shook her head and gathered the clothing up again, "I'm really... fine... but since you're not busy. I actually have some good news." Her smile had returned as she hurried down the steps to the laundryroom. When she reappeared I had laid the novel down on a table, gotten myself a mug of coffee and her a cup of warm tea, and gave her my full attention. 

She dusted out her dress and took a deep breath, "Well..." 

"Well?" 

Unable to hold it in longer, she blurted out her news, "I saw Pudding!" 

I blinked, startled that her voice could get so loud, "R-really!" 

"Yes, I really couldn't believe it! She's gotten so tall, Ryou! I hardly recognized her! But she's still the same Pudding, she really is," Lettuce was explaining to me. She was now recreating the entire scene for me. I leaned back in a chair with my mug of coffee and continued to listen politely. The steam rose into the air in a thin, swaying column, and vanished as it neared my face. I wanted so badly to tell her I had seen Zakuro. I knew it'd make her happy to know that her friend was well, but Zakuro's words rang clear in my memory, and I couldn't do anything about that. Lettuce was a kind person, she would understand Zakuro's wishes. 

"Now all we have to do is find Ichigo-san, and Mint-san and Zakuro- oh, I didn't tell you! Pudding's coming to visit tommorrow after school!" Lettuce was beaming as she fluttered around the dining area. Her face seemed to sparkle with a joyous light. I offered her a smile. 

Lettuce's excitement finally died down to a quiet sort of happiness. She scooted a chair out and sat down across from me with a cup of tea. 

"I'm glad you were able to talk with her," I said, "I just wish my search was going as well." 

"But, you have lots of connections, Ryou, um... perhaps they'd know where Zakuro-san is filming." 

I shook my head, half-lying, "Zakuro's really popular, I'm sure they're keeping her movie location a secret." 

"Ah... I guess that would make sense," she sighed, taking a sip of tea. 

"But, I'm looking forward to seeing Pudding again..." I added, changing the subject. 

"Yes!" she agreed with a grin. 

"Thanks for stopping by today... and thanks for..." 

"Not a problem," Lettuce blushed. 

"You say that, but it seems to me that I'm taking up time that you'd normally be spending with your family." 

Lettuce shook her head quickly, "No, it's fine. They completely understand. Besides, I'm doing it for a friend." 

"That's how you are." 

"Eh?" she asked, adjusting her glasses. 

"You always put others first." 

"Oh," Lettuce chirped quietly. She tapped herself lightly on the head, flushing, "Well, if you give others kindness, they'll give kindness back to you, even if it takes a little while. So, that's how I try to be." 

"I..." I paused, stopping myself from mentioning the model. 

Lettuce turned her eyes on me, waiting. 

"I... managed to find some information about Mint. She and Baya-san have moved to a mansion in Kyoto. It's almost time for school to start up again, but I thought that maybe during winter break you, Pudding, and I could go visit her. I know someone in Kyoto who tends to one of the shrines, and I'm sure he could help us navigate our way around." 

"Really? That'd be wonderful! I'll ask my parents when I get home. Although, it'd have to be after Christmas, since Mom, Dad, Uri, and I always spend the holidays together..." her excitement faded then as she glanced back up at me, worried about the timing. 

"Don't worry," I said reassuringly, "It'll be after Christmas. I'm sure Pudding wants to spend time with her family too." 

Lettuce must have realized the obvious. I had no one to really spend Christmas with, unless Keiichiro came back from his dig. I doubted it. He hadn't contacted me in a while, which was really no surprise. He might be courtious, but when his research is a factor, Keiichiro forgets what day it is. I know how that goes. When I'm really deep into an experiment, focused, the days start to blur and I often forget to eat or sleep. I suppose it's a bad habit, but that's how I am. Although, Keiichiro was working in a group, so others would be there to make sure he atleast didn't get dehydrated. 

Lettuce hadn't said a word. I really hate it when people worry about me, so I decided to speak up, "Well, it's getting late. You should go home and get some rest. I'll see you tommorrow afternoon, since I have the day off from work." 

Lettuce perked up, "Okay. You're right, ofcourse. I'll be going. Thanks for the chat and the tea, I enjoyed it." She slid the chair back under the table and bowed. 

"No sweat," I said with a nod, "Although my tea isn't great." 

She shook her head frantically, "No, that isn't true. It was fine." 

I shrugged. 

"See you tommorrow, Ryou-san," Lettuce said with a wave as she pulled on a maroon jacket and grabbed her things. 

"Sure, see you, Lettuce." 

After she had left, I climbed the steps to my room, plopping myself infront of the laptop. My fingers quickly found their positions on the keys, as if by some instinct. Clicking on the Internet icon, I hastily began typing words in the search bar. 

"Search for... Aoyama Masaya, kendo, red data..." I murmured, almost silently as I typed. The results took only a moment. Fifteen. Most of them were totally useless judging by the description. About halfway down the page I found what I wanted. 

Scanning the page, I quickly learned that Masaya was, predictably, a kendo champion at his highschool in London. He was also on an environmental debate team and a well-known expert on red-data animals. I personally thought it was a bit nerdy of him to study the red data just because Ichigo and the others had been fused with them. I shook my head and read on. Planned major, Biology. Minor, Education. No surprise there. It said something about him being accepted into several universities, but there were no names listed. With his experience in England, even if he had been accepted, I doubted he'd come back to Japan. I knew well that there were many valuable opportunities in the science field all across the globe, and Japan wasn't at the top of the list. I recalled several opportunities I had wanted, but had to decline because of research. And thus, I didn't think everything Lettuce believed was true. I had sacrificed so much of my own life for the Mew Project. I really had. And yes, I had the aliens' thanks, and indirectly I had the Earth's thanks... but now that it was over, it was like having to live all over again. I had been kind to my planet, and it hadn't returned that kindness to me. Atleast, not yet. I don't want a medal, fame, fortune, or any of that. The Mew Project was my life for so many years. All I want is a reason to continue living... 

I erased Aoyama's name from the search bar and replaced it "Momomiya Ichigo". There was really nothing special about her that I could add. I had no idea what sorts of clubs she might be in. The results, again, came quickly. Too quickly. _No matches found._ Next, I tried for Mint. From that search, I found out that Mint was indeed enrolled in a dance academy. She had even been recognized nationally for a performance in "Swan Lake". 

Not realizing it, several hours had passed and now it was late. Infact, it was _early_ moreso than late. I sank down into bed and curled up under the bedsheets at about 2:00 in the morning. Sleep caught me as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

- 

There was a light tapping at my head. I groaned, turned, and opened my eyes cautiously. 

"Hey!" 

"Hunh?" I asked dumbly, still half-asleep. 

A face peered down at me curiously, huge eyes blinking. 

"Hehe, Shirogane-oniichan's hair looks awful in mornings na no da!" she announced loudly. 

"Ugh..." I muttered. 

"You need to be happy in the morning! Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Na no da!" she yelled, hopping onto the bed - and me - and pinching both of my cheeks. 

"Pudding!" I barked out, prying her hands off my face. 

"Awh, c'mon, you're supposed to be happy to see me! Lettuce-oneechan said you would be! Happy happy happy! Up up up! Na no da!" she yelled, bouncing up and down on the bed and making a 'getting out of bed' motion with her hands. 

"Fine, fine, fine..." I growled. 

"Yippee!" she squealed, hugging me. "I'll be downstairs helping Lettuce-oneechan make lunch! We'll be waiting for you, na no da!" With that, the energetic middleschooler bounded out the door, slid down the banister, and landed perfectly below. 

"And don't go back to bed, na no da!" she called up to me. 

"As if such were possible..." I muttered, dragging myself from my much-wanted slumber and stumbling towards the bathroom. 

"Oh yeah, and Lettuce-oneechan said she was really sorry, but she accidentally shrunk some of your clothes, na no da! Your kitty-cat boxers are really kawaii by the way, na no da!" 

_sidenote: Named at random, but also an illusion to "Kokoro". Bob is one of the more responsible characters. ; _

A/N: Woohoo! Made it to five chapters! XD Hehe, fun ending. P Gomen, but you'll have to wait just a little longer for Ichigo's appearance. I'm not saying when she'll show up, but she's on her way. . I finally figured out how to get her into the story. Mint should also be appearing pretty soon. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for the reviews. 

Stick around for Chapter 6, "Autumn's Mirror", nya!


	6. Autumn's Mirror

﻿ _A/N: I really have nothing to say. x.x Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. It always helps me write when I know people are reading my story, otherwise what's the point? I hope to have some fun with Pudding in this chapter. I also figured out how Ichigo comes in, or did I already say that? Yes, soon soon our beloved strawberry will come into the story. Then things will get interesting and what's the term? Fluffy? I have noticed, though, that most RxI fanfiction follows one of several different formulas. And getting Masaya out of the picture usually either involves him cheating on Ichigo, or dying. I do not want to play one of those cards. x-x Masaya deserves better. He really does. So hopefully I won't go down quite the same path as some of the others. Anyway, ideas and comments are always appreciated. Flashback suggestions work, too. In other words, Review? Please? Hope you enjoy._

Chapter Six - Autumn's Mirror

Fifteen minutes and one hot shower later, I was sitting at a table across from my two guests. Pudding, as always, was bubbling over with energy and chattering non-stop. Lettuce was all smiles, although I did get a few reassuring glances from her as Pudding continued. Reassuring in that she meant nothing by what she was saying. 

"Shirogane-oniichan talks in his sleep, too, na no da!" she squealed, narrowing her eyes at me and leaning across the table. 

I sweatdropped silently. _Darn my luck._

"So, who do you think smells like strawberries and cream na no da?" 

I sputtered and choked on my tea. Lettuce jumped from her seat and immediately began patting me on the back to make me stop. 

"I'm... fine..." I said, raising a hand. I cleared my throat, knowing that my face was about three different shades of red right then. _Darn my luck..._

"So! OOooh! I know!" Pudding leapt onto the table. 

"Pudding-chan, that's really not a very good idea," Lettuce warned the younger girl. 

"Your blush is all the evidence Detective Pudding needs! Shirogane-oniichan must be fantasizing about the girl he loves na no da!" she placed her hands on her hips, proud that she had figured out my "secret" and smiled broadly. _Can I make that ten different shades of red?_

"Oh my gosh! Ryou, are you alright! Do you have a fever?" Lettuce asked worriedly. 

"I'm okay." 

"He doesn't have a fever, Lettuce-oneechan! He's blushing na no da! See? I wonder who the girl is..." Pudding began rubbing her chin in thought. 

"D-don't be s-silly!" Lettuce squeaked, her face turning red now. 

"And I bet it's Lettuce-oneechan na no da!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. 

Lettuce screamed, diving at Pudding to make her stop, "N-n-n-no! Impossible!" 

"But Lettuce-oneechan had a crush on Shirogane-oniichan for the longest time, na no da. So that must be it!" 

"Na, Pudding, I just swallowed my tea too fast... I didn't blow on it and because of that it scauled my mouth, this always happens..." I managed. My ears itched, indicating that the state of my complexion had not changed. 

Pudding stared at me for a moment, then sat back down in her chair sadly, "Pudding was so sure Shirogane-oniichan had a crush na no da. How could Pudding's intuition be wrong na no da?" 

"I told you..." Lettuce scolded, finally managing to breathe again. 

"I wanted it to be true na no da! Then I could use the love predictions machine on Shirogane-oniichan and his girl na no da, and share the secret family love potion na no da..." she sighed. 

"Now that that's over..." I started, recovering, "Would you like to come with Lettuce and me to visit Mint's house in Kyoto over Christmas?" 

Pudding stared for a moment before answering, "Pudding wants to see Mint-oneechan again, but Pudding has brothers and sisters to take care of na no da. Pudding can't expect Shirogane-oniichan to let them come along too, and Pudding can't leave them alone na no da." 

"I see..." 

"Shirogane-oniichan will just have to convince Mint-oneechan to come back to Tokyo with him, " she said with a depressed sort of shrug. I felt sorry for her. It didn't suit a sunny girl like her to be sad. 

"Pudding," I started in a serious tone. She looked up at me curiously as I continued. "I'll do my best to bring us back together. All of us. Somehow. Somehow, I'll make it happen." 

Pudding grinned a lopsided grin, "Good luck! You'll need it, na no da! Tokyo Mew Mew will reunite even without the DHA na no da!" 

Lettuce giggled as the girl bounced around hyperly, "I think that's DNA, Pudding-chan..." 

It was a big promise, but it was agreed. I had them on my side, Keiichiro wouldn't be gone forever, and we knew where Mint lived. Surely Zakuro could sneak back if the rest of us gathered. Even for a day, if only for a day. That only left Ichigo. 

"Uki ukiukiukiuki!" Pudding laughed as she immitated a monkey, snatched my arms and began spinning around the room. I almost fell flat on my face before bracing myself and catching my balance. The room was wobbling. 

"Dizzy, dizzy na no da?" she asked me with a laugh. 

"Uh... yeah..." I managed, stumbling for a seat as Lettuce sweatdropped in the background. 

- 

The summer sun began to fade and the air grew chilly. From my second story window I watched the leaves change from green to gold to crimson and chocolate, and spiral down from the trees to touch the Earth below. The pool had closed for the summer, and that left me with nothing much to do. I had to make excuses for myself to even leave the cafe. A trip to the library. A walk in the park. A visit to the harbor or zoo to just sit down on a bench and observe nature as it continued on without me. 

"Without the DNA, eh?" I echoed Pudding's words to myself on one such occasion. There was a yipping and yapping from one of the coyotes in an artificial environment in front of me. I leaned out slightly over the railing to watch the carefree animal yawn, shake its head, and curl up for a snooze in the shade. _Lucky._ I wove my way through the exhibits. Polar bears, deer, various birds and reptiles all went about their lives without paying any mind to my presence there. 

It was a lie. Though the girls' animal DNA had degenerated into an idle and now useless state, such was not the case with me. I was stuck this way. Half-cat, half-human. Forever. Period. Even the Mew Aqua could do nothing for me. 

I heard a whisper behind me and turned, being met with an empty stretch of sidewalk. I did a double-take. No one. _I must really be losing it..._ I took another step, but heard the sound again. Whipping around, I caught yellow eyes staring calmly at me. _Eh?_

The spotted animal blinked at me, ears twitching to the vibrations in the air. It was a brownish-gray color, with a short, compact body. I moved towards it and rested my hand lightly on the glass. _'It was you, ne?'_

The endangered wildcat glared, growling slightly before taking a seat infront of me. 

"You know who I am, don't you?" I voiced aloud. 

The cat seemed to wink at me, and the whispering came again. Not in words, but somehow the calm feelings of the Iriomote Wildcat swept through me, and it was almost as if I could understand what it was thinking. Memories of its past life in the wild, questions about how long it'd be stuck in this glass-bordered forest and what had happened to the others of its kind. For all the cat knew, it was the only member remaining. There was also the creature's loneliness which shone around it like a silver haze. I assured it silently that more Iriomote Wildcats still existed, and that they existed back home. Surely with the right persuasion, once research was completed and the cat had recovered, they'd take it back home... right? 

"I'll make sure they send you home. You're a rarity... and needed to sustain your kind. The researchers know that. Judging from that bandage, they brought you here for treatment. Once it recovers, they should let you go." 

The cat nodded gravely. 

"Heh, if it wasn't for your kind, I'd probably be in an insane asyllum right now," I mused, "Perhaps the term 'mad scientist' does apply in some cases. Normal people don't have conversations with cats... and normal people don't stay cooped up in a cramped room." 

He shook his head and let out a meowing sound, twitching his tail in an annoyed manner. 

"I see," I answered, "You're right ofcourse. Though we may have managed to save the world, the world may destroy itself anyway. My hope is that we humans take action before your kind is wiped out completely. It would be a sad thing. There's really a lot that we could learn from you." 

"Daddy, look! It's a kitty!" a little girl's voice flooded my hearing and cut off his words completely. My head snapped back. 

"So it is..." came the voice of her father. 

"Kawaii kitty! Cute!" 

The Iriomote Wildcat sprung to its feet and bounded off clumsily into the brush at the back of its inclosure, causing a loud wail from the girl who had been excited to see the animal. 

"Now, now, honey. We can come back again some other time. Why don't we visit the monkeys?" 

"Okay!" she chirped quickly. 

I nodded at them as they passed, turned and began my trip back, _'Arigatou, and good luck to you.'_ I'll always be a link between both realms. Whether that's my salvation or my demise, only time will tell. 

The edges of my mind still tingled as I walked home. The sky was clear and stars began to twinkle at the corners of my vision. Fading sunlight spilled across the expanse, painting it yellow, orange, pink, and indigo. 

- 

"Ichigo? What are you doing here?" I asked at sunset many months ago. 

"Shirogane! What do you want?" the red-head had fretted, pulling at her dress a bit and looking in every direction but at me. 

"...Nothing. Do you need someone to walk you home? Or are you waiting for...?" my voice trailed off. 

"Aoyama-kun is meeting me here. Y-yes! That's it! He should be here any minute now! Right!" her face flushed as she glared at me stubbornly. Perhaps Ichigo never realized, but her lies were transparent. Only a total moron could be fooled by them. 

"Oh... is that so...?" 

"It is! ...uh..." she finally gave up, "Actually, my dad was supposed to pick me up, but there was a last minute order for some fancy party or whatever, so he'll be late." 

I cocked an eyebrow at her, "What exactly does your father do?" 

She frowned at me, "You play with your computers enough, I thought you knew everything about everyone." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes as I waited for an actual **answer**. 

Opening one eye, the catgirl gave up with a sigh, "He's a sushi chef." 

"Oh... I had no idea," I replied truthfully, but with a hint of sarcasm which must have only annoyed her further. 

"Yeah, well, I'm not really in the greatest of moods. So, if you don't mind... could you just?" 

"Sure. I'll walk you home. I feel like it," I answered with a smirk. 

"I didn't mean that!" she fumed, "I wanted you to leave! Baka." 

"I'm the baka, huh? How else are you going to get home? It could be a long wait. Besides, this is Tokyo, it really isn't safe for you to be standing around at dusk in the middle of the city. Who knows what sorts of people show up at night?" I pointed out. 

I watched her little mind process what I had just said, "...go away!" 

"Do you really want me to leave you here? Alone. At Night. I will if you want." 

"...no." she finally gave up. A disapointed expression on her face. I had won again. 

I grabbed her arm and gave it a tug, "Well, hurry up." 

"Don't walk so fast!" she protested loudly, "My legs aren't ridiculously long like yours are." 

"No, they're ridiculously short." 

"Are not!" 

"You're right. They aren't." 

The girl yanked her arm away and huffed, "You know what? I really don't get you! You're such a jerk, and yet, I have proof that you can be nice! Just take Lettuce for example. Why is that? If you really expect me to keep working for you, why don't you just act human for a change?" she grumbled. 

"And what would you do... if I did?" 

"I'd whine less at work? I'd try harder?" she gave a shrug. She really didn't have an answer. 

"That's all? I'd say you already try pretty hard." 

"That's not the point. Quit changing the subject. I'm not some sort of genetic weapon or whatnot, you know!" 

I paused, "I know, Ichigo." 

"Uh... eh?" she blinked up at me, clearly confused. 

"I know you're not just a weapon." 

"Oh! So you _do_ see me as a weapon! I had hoped you had gotten past that." 

I let out a slight laugh, but it was a tired one as I continued walking, "I know. You're a girl with your own feelings and your own life." 

"Good, we're getting somewhere." 

"Anyways... I'm sorry. If you thought I was being mean to you." 

"W-what?" she blinked more. Her face flushed slightly. 

"I just appologized to you. Figure it out. This'll be over soon and then you'll never have to work at the cafe - or see me - again." 

"U-uh... that's not what I meant..." she hesitated. 

"What did you mean, then?" I inquired, turning. 

"It's not that I mind, really. I mean... well... you did this for your parents, right? And this is for the entire world. That's why we fight. And, what you said... back on Christmas Eve. Tokyo Mew Mew is here to protect the people close to us, correct?" 

"You were listening." 

"Ofcourse I was listening! I'm not as stupid as you think I am! So... that's why I'll see this through to the end. For the people I care about." 

"I didn't think you were stupid, just slow," I replied with a smirk. 

"Hey!" she protested, but I patted her head to silence her, making her flinch slightly out of reflex. 

"This is your house, right Ichigo? Try to get some rest. You have a long day ahead of you. Ja ne." 

"Uh... yeah..." she stood there dumbly on her front porch. 

"Take care, I won't go easy on you tommorrow just because you listened to my speech." 

"Yoouuu!" she growled, "Shirogane, you really are a jerk, but... then... Argh! You make me so mad because you won't just let me hate you!" 

I shrugged. 

"Thanks for taking me home I guess..." she muttered in defeat. 

"Couldn't let the boogeyman get you, ya know." 

"I'm too old to believe in that, ya know," she mocked me. 

"Yeah..." I murmured. 

- 

Without realizing it, I had passed the cafe and now stood a few blocks from Ichigo's previous residence. I rolled my eyes, scolding myself that my mind would wander. There was one light on. Her parents were probably eating dinner about now. That thought reminded me that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. With a sigh, I retraced my steps back to Cafe Mew Mew. Entering the door, I immediately put on some water for tea and for boiling noodles. As I snatched a bottle of mineral water from the fridge, I realized that I had a message on my answering machine. 

I pressed the 'messages' button. 

"One message received. Accesssing. _Beep!_ Mr. Shirogane, this is President Sasaki of Tokyo University. I'd like to meet with you at your next convenient time to discuss hiring you as a professor here. Please call me back as soon as you can at..." 

I dropped the bottle I was holding. It bounced off the floor and rolled under the counter. There was no way this was happening. Could Sasaki-san and his board really be interesting in hiring me? The timing was too perfect. 

Just then, a scream came from one of the pots on the stove as it began to boil over, ripping my attention away from the electronic as I hastily moved to silence it. 

_A/N: Next up, Chapter 7, "Face to Face", nya. _


	7. Face to Face

_A/N: I went back through the story and modified/added a few scenes and corrected typos (added section breaks). I thought I would list these scenes here: (ch.3) The end of the battle, (ch.4) Time with his mother, (ch.5) Lettuce doing laundry, Wake up call, (ch.6) Conversation, Cat instinct, Walk home. I also fixed a few typos, the only funny one was in chapter one "and a dark-haired boy who must be her girlfriend" XD Sorry, Masaya! I didn't mean to. _

I'm going to try my best to make this a longer chapter. Let's see how it goes. Thanks everyone for reviewing. Suggestions, etc... are always appreciated. I have the basic structure for the rest of the story, I just need help getting there and stringing all the parts together. Please enjoy. I've been waiting a long time to get here. 

Chapter Seven - Face to Face

"One message received. Accesssing. Beep! Mr. Shirogane, this is President Sasaki of Tokyo University. I'd like to meet with you at your next convenient time to discuss hiring you as a professor here. Please call me back as soon as you can at..." 

- 

Adjusting my tie (which was the _only_ tie I owned - red), I stepped gracefully into the lecture hall, immediately attracting weird looks from several hundred students. Before them was their teacher, a boy the same age they were, so naturally it would raise a few eyebrows. I wasn't nervous, in fact, I felt incredibly calm and composed. If I could instruct Tokyo Mew Mew, lecturing a Biology class should be a piece of cake. I tossed my things haphazardly on a desk and swung myself up onto it, crossing my legs formally and adjusting the clip-on microphone I had been given. This resulted in a few giggles from the back row. 

"I'm Shirogane Ryou. You will address me as 'Professor Shirogane'. I'm going to be your Biology teacher for this semester. There is no syllabus... but there are rules, which should be obvious to you if you have made it this far in your education. I will not accept late work, and I don't have office hours. You can raise your hand during class or come to me right afterwards and I'll help you in whatever way I can. I'll also leave you with my e-mail address which is platinumblonde19, at cmm.jp." 

There were a few groans, but mostly silence. 

"My biggest pet peeve is sleepers in class, and so, if I catch you doing such, I'll be sure to embarass you. As for my experience... I'm a private scientist. I graduated six years ago. My field of interest are Biology, Computer Technology, and some Chemistry. And yes, I'm 19. Are there any questions thus far?" I surveyed the room. Nothing. "It doesn't have to be a serious question until the lesson has actually begun." 

"Are you single?" a girl finally asked smartly. 

"Yes, though I'm not looking," I answered matter-of-factly. 

"What kind of Biology?" 

"Mostly that focusing on DNA. Others?" 

"What does 'DNA' stand for, genius?" 

"That's Professor Shirogane to you, pal. And that seems like as good a place as any to start, ne?" I reached for my tablet computer and loaded the air projector program which would display everything on my screen to the large projector in the front of the room. 

"Deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA... which is the coding for all living things. Each being has its own individual set of DNA..." 

I continued enthusiastically for the next hour, welcoming questions and comments. Turning my eyes up towards the students at every pause, I never caught a single one snoozing which surprised and encouraged me. I let them go fifteen minutes early. 

"Remember to look over chapter one. I might quiz you next time to see if you were paying attention," I suggested, "Dismissed." The students rose loudly and filed out of the room. I gathered my things and exited the building. 

"So, how did it go?" a voice asked. 

I took a few more steps to see Lettuce standing at the base of the steps, "I think it went alright." 

"That's good." I hurried down the steps to where she was. 

"The dress code is a bit annoying, but the class participated and there were no sleepers." 

Lettuce laughed, "Why would they sleep? I'm sure you make a great teacher." 

"I dunno about that." 

Lettuce smiled brightly, "Are you going back to the cafe?" 

I gave a nod. "Yeah." 

That evening I sat infront of my window, staring out over the Tokyo landscape as stars appeared like lit candles in the quickly darkening sky. Further into the city, it was difficult to distinguish the artificial lights from those of celestial origin, but from this distance, it was easy to do so. I searched out the constellations I knew, using Orion's belt as a sort of compass. _A compass...?_

- 

"Great, now we're lost!" I remarked. 

"We aren't lost, Shirogane, and it's your own fault for not showing me how to use this compass!" Ichigo accused. 

"It's your fault for lying about knowing how to use it," I insisted. 

Mint let out an annoyed sigh, "Cut it out you two. Really! I'm sure Zakuro-oneesama and the others will come looking for us pretty soon." 

"I **hope** it's soon... I don't think I can take too much more of _him_." 

"Well isn't that nice?" I growled. 

"It _was_ nice! I could have called you names but I didn't!" she shot back smartly. 

"My, my, you two argue like a married couple..." Mint commented tiredly, fixing one of the buns on top of her head that had come loose. 

"M-m-mint! How can you say such a horrible horrible thing!" Ichigo sputtered. I made no comment. It was better not to encourage Mint. 

"Oh-ho? Well, you two **are** a bit more interesting to watch than you and Masaya. Although, I am starting to get a headache..." she admitted. 

"How could you say that! Masaya and I are destined to be together. If you have a problem watching us then you should just butt out!" 

"Calm down before you blow a fuse, Ichigo," I suggested. 

"Hush you!" she snapped. 

"My, what a temper we have. And you say I was wrong to call you vulgar?" Mint cocked an eyebrow at the red-head. 

"Geeeeeeeeez!" she screamed in frustration. 

"I think that's enough, Mint..." 

"Yes, I suppose you're right, Ryou." 

Ichigo started whining then, "You two planned this..." 

"I did nothing of the sort!" Mint stated firmly. 

"It's wrong to falsely accuse people, Strawberry." 

Ichigo groaned and stormed off through the trees. 

"Hey, wait a second!" I called after her, hurrying to catch up. 

"No! I'm going to prove to you that I can use thi-waaa!" Ichigo yelped. 

"What is it?" I asked breathlessly as I caught up to her. 

"S-s-s-s-s-s-spider! B-b-big spider!" she squeaked, pointing a shaky finger at a large arachnid that hung from an invisible web a few feet infront of her. 

"Whoa, that is one big, hairy, and completely harmless spider!" I commented with a laugh. 

"It's gonna bite me and I'm gonna die!" she wailed. 

"No it isn't." 

"It's ugly and creepy and poiso- did you say...?" 

"It's not poisonous." 

"Are you sure, Shirogane? It's too scary to not be..." 

"Well, it probably thinks you're scary too, but you aren't poisonous. I'm very sure," I teased. 

"Why you!" she sighed, "No, forget it. I'm not arguing with you again." 

I petted her head, "Well, that's good. Now give me that compass so we can get back to camp." 

"No!" she snapped instinctively, clutching the device tightly. 

"Na, quit being so stubborn." 

"Quit being so rude." 

"Do you want help or not?" 

"I didn't ask for any!" 

"Oneesama!" 

"What?" Ichigo and I turned to see the others watching us a ways off. 

"Ridiculous, really. Ryou and Ichigo were fighting this whole time. It's their fault we got lost," Mint commented. We shot back a protest, but it was pointless. 

"Why didn't you just swing through the trees, na no da? It's easy to travel that way!" Pudding announced with a grin. 

"Are you alright, Ichigo-san? Shirogane-san?" Lettuce asked, her face knit with worry. 

"Thanks Lettuce, but I'm fine," Ichigo tried to smile at the girl with the glasses. 

"Same here," I replied simply. 

"Now, why don't we get back?" Keiichiro suggested kindly, trying his best to smooth everything over, "There are three large bags of marshmallows back there and I can hear our campfire calling them." 

"Yummy! Roasted marshmallows na no da!" Pudding cheered, "But can you really hear the fire from this distance na no da?" 

"It's just an expression, Pudding..." Lettuce giggled. 

"Don't be silly," Mint said indignantly, "Marshmallows' flavor is nothing compared to s'mores. And luckily for all of you, I brought graham crackers with me from home." 

"That's great Mint-san, I packed some chocolate as well," Keiichiro smiled at her, then turned to me and gave me a 'be nice' look. 

I shrugged, "Well, now that that's settled, we'd better get moving." 

"Agreed," Zakuro said calmly. 

I made my way forward to speak with Keiichiro when a hand tapped my shoulder lightly. I glanced backwards to see Ichigo. She didn't look as frustrated as she had before. "What do you want?" 

"Um..." she hesitated, fumbling around for the compass, "Here..." 

"Yeah, thanks..." I muttered, taking it from her and shoving it down in a coat pocket. 

"It was really dumb of us to fight over getting lost, huh?" she asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. 

"I agree. But I wasn't arguing. I was telling." 

"See? There you go again!" she complained, making me laugh. 

"Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm not arguing again until all of that chocolate is gone." 

Ichigo watched me dumbly, then giggled, "Is that so? Well, unfortunately for you, you won't be getting any." 

"Say what!" I narrowed my eyes at her. 

"You heard me!" she teased, glaring back, "You don't deserve any!" 

"I don't? Why's that?" I inquired. 

"Because you're a meanie! And because I'm going to get back first!" she stuck her tounge out at me and broke off into a dash, followed by the other girls. 

"Hey!" I protested, "Don't get lost again, or I won't bother trying to find you!" 

"I'm not stupid enough to get lost all over again, Shirogane!" 

_Bee-bee-bee-beep! Bee-bee-bee-beep! Beeeeep! Beeeep!_

- 

I was ripped rudely away memory lane by the digital melody that blared from my cellphone. I reached over to pick it up, bringing it up to my ear. 

"Moshi moshi..." I greeted quietly. 

"Konbanwa, Ryou," the familiar voice replied pleasantly, "How are you doing?" 

"Keiichiro!" I marvelled, "So you actually stopped your research long enough to call me." 

He chuckled at my joke, "Seems you're doing well..." 

"I didn't say I was... but, I'm alright," I answered in a less excited tone. 

"Gomen, I would have called sooner but..." my friend's voice had taken on a grave tone. Was something wrong? A knot came to my throat. It was never good when Keiichiro spoke in that voice. He was terrible at hiding things. He was good at changing the subject, yes, but you could always tell when he was. 

I swallowed hard, slumping down a bit on the windowsill, "What's wrong? You might as well tell me." 

"Nothing's wrong yet, but..." there was a long silence on the other end of the phone, "We've found some remains at the site that appear to link back to the aliens. I can't confirm this yet, but we're looking further into it. I'll send you visuals when we're sure." 

"I see... are you sure there isn't anything else?" I pried further. There was another long pause. 

"Have you been feeling alright?" 

"Yeah, I feel fine." Was Keiichiro asking me if I had experienced side effects recently? It sounded like it. I hadn't had an attack in a while. 

"Well, I really should be going," he added appologetically. 

"Oh, hold on one sec," I said forcefully, "I've been talking to some of the girls lately. Lettuce and Pudding, anyway... And, do you have any idea where-" 

"That's wonderful! I hope to see you all soon, but I must go now. Ja ne, Ryou. Take care of yourself." Keiichiro ended the call. 

"But..." I mumbled, clicking off the phone, "I was going to ask you..." It was useless. I'd find Ichigo myself. Somehow. For being so far away, I sure did think about her enough. Must be the unrequited love thing. _Ryou!_ _What the heck was I saying? What the heck... was I denying? What was the point in attempting to deny it again when I knew it was the truth?_ I slumped further down to sit with my back against the wall. 

"I do... I do love her..." I voiced aloud. Everything about her. From that silly grin to the way she gave her 200. I had never told her. I had never told anyone. And yet, even Keiichiro and Lettuce had figured it out, and Pudding had come close to. For that matter, I was convinced Zakuro had known all along. The only person that didn't know was Ichigo herself. I knew she loved Masaya with everything she had. But... more for me than for her... I had to get this off my chest. I know that she'll never return my feelings, but this is the only way that I'll ever be able to let go and move on. That must be why I'd never allowed the Mew Project to end. _And so, by admitting my feelings, I'll finally be able to fly out of this cage..._

As I sat there in the dust, a pounding slowly crept into my head, gathering force quickly. I gritted my teeth and rubbed my temple, hoping that this would only be a minor attack, but it wasn't. Pressure filled my head, and my attempts to quiet it were useless. There was nothing I could do except wait it out and hope that my head didn't decide to explode. I dropped over onto the floor, bringing my legs up towards my middle, still holding my head. _Why wouldn't it just stop?_ That's when I realized... The cat genes inside me were progressing again. The pain finally started to subside. I rubbed the sweat from my brow and stared up at the tiled ceiling. _Just another reason why I had to let go._

- 

I paced briskly across the floor of the lecture hall, "So, who can tell me the four letters I asked you to remember?" 

A freshman raised her hand cautiously, "A, G, C, T?" 

"Right!" I nodded, "And who recalls what these four letters stand for?" 

Another hand. "Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine." 

"Yes. Do you remember which pairs with which?" 

"A with T, and G with C." 

"Uh-huh, and the shape?" 

"A double-helix. It looks kinda like stairs." 

"Now we'll get into the stuff that's actually challenging," I announced smugly. "You'll have a lab Monday. We're going to extract DNA from plant and animal cells. I'll instruct you on how to do this in lab, but it'd be beneficial for you to print the lab out ahead of time. I'll e-mail this to you all over the weekend." 

"What kind of animal...?" someone asked. 

"Eh? Why, store-bought chicken livers ofcourse. Why don't we have a picnic afterwards?" 

The class giggled at that. The girl who had asked blushed slightly but laughed as well. 

"Seems we have a sleeper..." I poked a boy on the head with my pen, "Up all night were we?" 

"Uhn..." he groaned. 

"I suppose I should congratulate you for managing to snooze during all of that, but now it's time to pay attention. You can dream about your girlfriend later." 

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, man. Er... Professor Shirogane-man," he corrected sleepily. Predictably, there were snickers from around the room, but the boy didn't seem phased by this at all. He covered a yawn and returned to an upright position in his chair. 

The period droned on. I detailed chromosomes, and how they paired together, how it was actually the male's genes that determined whether a child would be male or female, and how come different species could not interbreed. We finished on time. After dismissing them, I walked back to the front to gather my things. 

"Professor Shirogane?" inquired a student who had stayed behind. 

"Yes?" I asked curiously. 

"Well, the science club is having a party this evening. Teachers are invited too, and I thought you might be interested since you're new to Tokyo University and all. I know a few Chemistry teachers who will definately be there, and a bunch of us are coming. You could probably get into some interesting discussions, and if not, there'll be refreshments, music, and dancing." 

I hoisted my suitcase off the table, thinking about what he had just said. "Alright. I'll try my best to be there." 

"Alright. See ya." 

- 

I arrived at the party around 8:15. It was being held in a reasonably sized building. I noticed I wasn't wearing anything particularly fancy - a blue jean jacket, a black turtleneck, and jeans - but then, none of the other boys were either. The girls, on the otherhand, were mostly wearing tight skirts with their faces painted up. I have never understood why girls wear make-up, especially girls who are already attractive without it. What's the point, then? 

I wasn't much for social gatherings like this. Ballroom dancing was one thing, but the more modern term for "dance" was not something to really appealed to me. Between that, and the fact that there wasn't a single familiar face in the crowd, I felt out of place. I scolded myself for not having asked Lettuce to come with me. Atleast then I'd have someone to talk to and wouldn't feel so seperated. I paced around the perimeter of the room, watching people chattering with one another, munching on refreshments, and dancing in a rather suggestive way. They all seemed to belong somehow, but I was an outsider. 

"Hey, isn't that...?" 

"Yeah, that's Aoyama Masaya... my boyfriend..." explained a nervous voice. You'd expect it to be muted out but the multitude of people speaking, but it came to my ear as clear as a bell. 

My eyes surveyed the room, desperately seeking the source of the conversation I had heard. I finally found them. A group of girls clustered in a corner, giggling in a lighthearted way. 

"You're so lucky. Your boyfriend's really cute, you know. He looks like a smarty too." 

"He is... we just got back from England a few weeks ago. He was part of the team studying red data animals," explained a girl who was being blocked out completely by her friends. 

"Red data animals, aren't those endangered species or something? Hey! I remember, weren't those supergirls supposed to be fused with them... the Mew Mews, right?" 

"Uh...yeah! That's right!" the second voice replied nervously. 

"I wonder what ever happened to them..." 

"Haha, so do I..." the voice came again, sounding even more nervous than before. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get something to drink, okay?" 

_'I have to find out if it's really her...'_ I decided. I wove my way carefully through the sea of people towards the refreshments table. As the crowd finally started to dwindle, I could make out the girl who had been obscured before. She was wearing a short red dress, her hair curled neatly around her face. We reached our destination at the same time. Realizing someone was between her and the punch bowl, she lifted her face. 

"Excuse m!" her amber eyes flashed in surprise and she took a startled step backwards. 

"What are you doing here!" she demanded, bristling after she had recovered. 

I shook my head, replying in my almost-forgotten sarcastic tone, "It's nice to see _you_ again, too. Momomiya Ichigo." 

_A/N: I usually don't listen to music, or have anything particular song in my head when I write. I tried listening to music during part of this chapter. I really love "Caged Bird" from D.N. Angel, though. That song really moves me. I also like the songs from Full Metal Panic. Some other songs I listened to included "Come" from InuYasha Maybe I'll try a song fic some day. I should really do one to "This Love" by Maroon 5. Heh. It's become one of my trademark songs, and I really like Maroon 5's music. Anyways, I'm rambling now. I'd like to start on another fanfic, so if you have any suggestions for that... I plan to do one based on the "Kokoro-verse" and another that kind of flip-flops the Alto effect and makes it seem like a fairytale. _

Stay tuned to Chapter Eight, "Friction". We're on an uphill climb now. Woohoo! And it's official, there are 15 chapters here. :nod nod: 


	8. Friction

_A/N: Thought I'd ramble for a while. Again I got stuck on this chapter so pleases throw some suggestions my way, even if they're bad suggestions, I'd be grateful. Also, anything you think could be improved... I know my sentences are choppy. x.x _

I'm so happy, though, I found the full version to Denwa Shite Iwachan from Adventures of the Mini-Goddess. It's such a sweet little song. I watched part of the series with a friend, and he'd sing along to that song laughs so it got stuck in my head. That and songs from Galaxy Angel, which I have yet to see. Go me and my web searching skillz. cough Anyway, I have an idea for a title page to this fic in my head, so hopefully I'll get around to drawing it. I've actually had two different ideas, but this was more original. 

To all the people who were reading gelatinoussugar's fanfic "Sleepover", it's going to be moved to the R section in a few days or so. Just passing the word along. I've been reading it. Without further ado, please enjoy the next chappie. Sorry it's so shortish. 

Chapter Eight - Friction

"Shirogane! What are **you** doing here!" she demanded, bristling after she had recovered. 

"It's nice to see _you_ again, too. Momomiya Ichigo. But, you're not a college student..." 

"Ofcourse I'm not! Masaya invited me to come with him," she said indignantly. _So much for a happy reunion._ I eased out of her way so she could pour herself a glass of punch. My brain had gone blank and I had no idea what to say to her. She took a sip of the liquid then stared up at me, "What are you doing here, though?" 

"I was invited by one of my students," I answered, my voice returning to me. 

"Students! Don't tell me you're a teacher at Tokyo U!" she gawked. 

"Yeah. I started a few days ago." 

Ichigo brushed a strand of hair out of her face, "I feel really sorry for your class, you know?" 

"Why? Professor Shirogane is a really good teacher. If it wasn't for him, I never would have figured out how DNA really works," came the voice of the student who had invited me, a grin spread across his face, "Thanks for coming. Is she your girlfriend or something?" 

"No, I'm just a... um... friend..." she answered for me, face reddening in annoyance, "He isn't exactly my type." _Stab._

"Oh, I see, sorry about that!" he laughed and waved as he retreated towards a group of his friends. 

"Maybe you are a decent teacher, then," she admitted with a shrug, "Then again... how much did you pay him to say that?" 

I frowned, "I didn't pay him to say anything. I do have my dignity..." 

Ichigo gave a little shrug, "I guess you're still living in the cafe, playing with your computers and bossing the other girls around, right?" 

My patience level fell considerably, I had to fight to keep my composure and not yell, "No. I mean, yes, I still live at the cafe, but we closed. After you left the rest of the girls disbanded. Keiichiro's off in Egypt and all; he probably won't be back anytime soon." 

"D-d-disbanded? You mean, there's no longer a...?" 

"When there's no longer a need to fight..." my voice trailed off. 

Ichigo was silent for a long time, before finally asking, "But you still see them all the time, right?" She waved her hand lightly as if it was no big deal. 

"No." 

"No!" she blinked slowly. 

"I met Lettuce again through a job, then she tracked down Pudding... Mint's living in Kyoto somewhere and Zakuro's off shooting a movie," I explained. 

"And I was in London... And Keiichiro..." she slowly came to understand everything, "It's really over." 

I gave a slight nod, replying gravely, "So it would seem." 

"I actually kind of miss working at the cafe with everyone... at times it was fun, and even though it took away from my free time, it wasn't that bad protecting the Earth... Not really." I had never seen Ichigo so serious and thoughtful before, it was actually kind of shocking. 

"Ofcourse... if you weren't such a jerk all the time, maybe I would be missing it more right now," she added, cutting a glare in my direction. 

"Oh well, too late now," I said with a fake sigh. 

"Geez! You! Wait... job?" 

"Yeah..." _Boy she's slow as ever._

"You mean Lettuce is a teacher also?" Ichigo was not getting it at all. 

"No! Through a _different_ job," I grumbled. 

"What kind of job would that be? I really can't imagine you working at all..." she traced the side of her head with her finger, "Ichigo Vision. Let's see... I'm trying really hard... and I'm seeing you... in an office doing something boring like paperwork." 

"No. It was an outdoor job," I offered. 

"Oh! You drove a garbage truck around? I can see you crashing into a mailbox... and there goes a cat..." 

"No!" I was quickly becoming exhausted. 

"...you became the mascot for the local soccer team?" 

"Give up, baka..." I growled. 

"But now I'm curious, Shirogane! What sort of job would you possibly be willing to do?" she frowned a bit in frustration. 

"None of your business..." I insisted, flicking her squarely in the middle of the forehead. Her head jerked back as I did so and her cheeks turned an angry crimson. She looked about ready to dig her heel into my shin, but she didn't. 

"I really hate you! But... tell me!" she whined as she clenched her free hand into a fist. 

"Make me," I shot back. 

Ichigo bit her lower lip, her face turning into a smirk (which didn't suit her at all) as she swung her leg forward and stomped her heel down right on my big toe. 

"Ow!" I yelled, wincing. This brought back memories... such _lovely_ memories of her mangling my foot at the party several years back. I had had to soak my foot in epsom salts for a week after the incident. 

Ichigo looked a bit regretful, but pointed out the obvious, "You told me to make you." 

"Yeah, I know..." I squeaked. 

"Then what kind of job was it?" 

Recovering, I looked off in another direction, "The pool. I was a lifeguard for the summer." 

"A lifeguard?" The red head took her time processing this information, like a really early computer model, "I sooo cannot see **you** as a lifeguard." 

"Oh well." 

"Lettuce on the other hand... I think a job like that would be really good for her, you know?" 

"I think so as well," I admitted. 

A slight smile graced Ichigo's face. Thinking back on it now, that was probably one of the few times I had actually agreed with her on any subject, but I knew that smile was meant for her friend. 

"So, you've been doing pretty well, huh?" she figured, her spirits perking up again. 

"I guess... you still haven't told me what you've been doing..." 

"Better than ever, I'd say! Masaya got accepted into Tokyo U, so we came back here for the semester. It was kind of a pain transferring back into highschool here, though. Then again, it doesn't really much matter... Masaya's getting his own appartment next week. And-" 

"Ichigo..." I interrupted. 

"Huh?" she stopped her ranting, blinking. 

"I asked about _you_, not Aoyama-kun..." 

"I was talking about me," insisted Ichigo, "After all, you asked. So, anyway, my guidance counselor is giving me a hard time because I haven't decided what I want to do." 

"Guidance counselors are always like that," I said, "There are so many students, that unless you make yourself known, the counselors won't really be able to help you. They just suggest the path that sounds the best to them in general. They _want_ you to have a determined area of study, sure, but it isn't necessary. I'm sure you'll figure out what it is you want to do with your life someday." 

"I already know that. I just don't know what to major in!" 

"That's what I meant..." 

Ichigo continued without hearing, "I want to be a bride, and wear a beautiful wedding dress as I walk down the church aisle towards the man I love! I want to get married **for real** this time! And have a kid, maybe two or three, and a honeymoon in Paris, and kiss him goodbye as he goes off to work every day 'Bye-bye, my love, have a good day' and bake sweets and cuddle by the fireoncolddays and getmarriedagain every anniversary and grow old together ohandIforgot about the-" 

I cleared my throat. _Girls are so weird..._

Another blush crept across her face, "Ah! Not that it's any of **your** business! Quit staring at me like that, Shirogane!" 

"'Scuse me..." I grumbled, resting my hands on my hips and looking off at something else. 

"Well... what about you?" she questioned, "What's the self-proclaimed genius planning to do with his future?" 

I turned my head so that I could see her out of the corner of my eye. Sighing, I shifted and crossed my arms. 

"Well, nothing like what my life is right now, that's for sure." 

"How so?" she prodded. 

"Hrmmm... I suppose I'd like to live out the rest of my life somewhere _other than_ a flashy pink cafe, with the people I care about close by. I guess I wouldn't mind getting married, but I can't really imagine such a thing." 

"Neither can I..." 

"We agree, then." A lie. I could remember dreaming of a marriage ceremony once before. Only once. I had stood at the front of a church, decorated with white and pink flowers. As family and friends stood to announce the arrival of my bride, the same sweet face I was watching now had smiled back at me from under that wedding veil. 

She was silent, then added, "You'll be a scientist for the rest of your life?" 

"I suppose..." my voice trailed off as I made a motion with my hand, "Lifeguarding is not exactly my idea of a dream job, but teaching does fit into the whole scientist thing..." 

"Not surprising." 

"Ichigo. Can I ask you something?" I finally managed. 

"Hmn?" she had taken another sip of punch, but sat the glass down now and gave me her attention. 

"Well, you see..." I paused, suddenly doubting whether or not should actually spill these words, "I..." 

"Ichigo!" came a new voice, though it was one I had heard plenty of times before. 

"Eh? Masaya!" she announced, immediately brightening and putting on her biggest smile. 

The dark-haired boy offered a brief nod in my direction before turning back to Ichigo, "Would you like to dance?" 

"Sure!" she chirped. 

I watched as the two ventured off into the middle of the crowd. A very loud song had begun blaring through the speakers, with a distinct beat to it. Rap. Hiphop. Something like that. The mob seemed to be moving in unison. The girls positioned in front of their dates, rocking from side to side, knees bent. As I mentioned before, this was not a type of dancing that appealed to the eye. Catching glimpses of the once-was catgirl in that sea, leaning back against her boyfriend, left an empty and sickened feeling inside of me. She was happy. It was then that I realized I'd never be able to tell her the truth, not that she would care anyway. _Gosh, Ryou, you saw her again! You had plenty of time to tell her... but you didn't! Just forget it. Isn't seeing her one more time enough? Just let it go. Let **her** go. Just let her be happy._

I travelled silently, unnoticed, towards the exit. I guessed I wouldn't be missed by anyone. 

- 

The walk home was spent contemplating everything. Everything. Even things that had nothing to do with me. My brain would not be quieted, no matter how hard I tried. I felt weary, but the noise inside my head kept me awake, though not necessarily alert to the world around me. It had begun raining gently, but even the cascade of drops did nothing to wash away my memories. 

Obviously not paying attention, I took a step into the road before the light had changed, and I was met with the ear-splitting protest of a truck's horn and the raspy cursings of its driver. As it sped past (luckily I had gotten out of the way), water from the edge of the street splashed up onto my shoes and jeans. The coldness finally managed to sink into me. Not all of it was from the rain, part of it was from being alone. I needed someone to talk to. I needed a shoulder to cry on, or even just two generous ears to listen to me. These feelings were ones I had always tried to ignore, but it seemed like the weight of my very existance was coming crashing down on top of me, burying my purpose for being. I had neglected to bring along my cellphone, which was stupid on my part. 

I turned down a side street and took a seat on the curb. I should have gone home, but I didn't. Not yet. I curled my arms around my legs and shivered. Everything looked like a black and white silent film. The only noise was the buzz of the rain as it filtered through gutters and down from the rooftops of the city. 

"I guess these feelings _have_ taken some sort of toll on me... Darn it. Wallowing in self-pity like a little girl. What's wrong with you?" I scolded. I was certain I looked awful and was drenched to the bone, literally. 

"You just don't want to be alone. You're scared of being alone. It never bugged you before, but now that the project's over and everyone has gone their seperate ways, you're afraid. Because the truth is, they're the people you cared about, and the people who were your friends. And you want to hold on to that, and keep them close to you, so the same thing won't happen to them as did..." My voice was only a whisper, but it still cracked. "And you selfishly want those feelings to be mutual." I rose violently and struck the brick wall with my hand. It soon grew numb and the spot where my knuckle had hit turned dark. I cursed silently. The dampness seemed to be sucking the strength out of me. I hadn't realized, but I was really tired. 

"You should call Lettuce when you get back..." I counseled myself, stretching in attempts to return to my normal and more confident state. Didn't help much. Lettuce was the type of person who understood all sorts of people. I can still remember when she first showed up at Cafe Mew Mew with a group of girls who were real snobs. She had associated with them because she wanted to help them. Pudding on the other hand, had raised money by performing in the park to support her family. Although Pudding could be fun at times, she could also be annoying, and if I talked to her, she'd just ask a million questions. 

Another noise rose above the sound of the rain. I turned my head slightly in order to determine the source of it, but it didn't come again. I didn't really care what it was at the moment. Getting a mug of hot chocolate and making that call seemed like a much better idea to me. I began sloshing back towards the cafe, when I finally heard the sound again. It was a pitiful little cry, sounding much like a small child. _Why?_ If it hadn't sounded so helpless and desperate, I could have easily walked away, but if it was a someone in need of help, how could I refuse them? It wasn't ethical, and it wasn't something that I was going to do. 

Retracing my steps carefully, I wove my way through a darkened, cluttered alley. _Where is it? Where?_ My eyes scanned the shadows, finally adjusting a bit so that I could make out shapes. 

It came again, this time a meer squeak. 

"Where are you?" I asked, though my voice was muted by the precipitation, "Hey. I'm trying to find you... tell me where you are so I can help... please." 

An aluminum can toppled off the edge of a trash can and bounced off the ground with a clatter. Jumping about two feet it the air, I quickly averted my attention to the source of the commotion. It came staggering towards me. If it had been possible, I would have said it looked like it had consumed too much alcohol. Stumbling, it plopped onto the ground, eyes closed and let out another squeak. 

"So there you are. I didn't think I was going to find you." 

Knelting down beside it, I reached out a hand to collect the waterlogged form in my arms. A soft murmur escaped its lips as it fell silent. Life sure is ironic sometimes. 

"We both look like something the dog dragged in, huh?" I muttered, wrapping my jacket around it. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this rain. I promise." 

_sidenote: If you've read anything about "Kokoro", you'll recognize a lot of these elements. The lack of spaces shows that she's talking really fast. _

_You might notice this line is a play of the lyrics to "This Love" by Maroon 5 _

A/N: Chapter Nine, "Caught Without an Umbrella". We're halfway! I dunno whether to be happy or sad. O.o I've had the ideas for this next chapter for a while now. I was gonna use it in Kokoro Roleplay, but it wouldn't really fit, so it's going here. I'm still trying to decide how to approach this chapter, though... hrm... 

Oh yeah, the ending of this fanfic is going to be like a bonus chapter, so anyone who can come up with things people could do at a birthday party, TELL ME, and I might add them to the story. I want the last installment to be light and happy and funny. Thanks! 


	9. Caught Without an Umbrella

﻿ _A/N: Yay, reviews! I feel special. Okay, for some responses... _

Aria - Good guess. 

Ranma - I **like** Ichigo... x.x Yes, she can be an idiot, but she does have good qualities about her as well, and she's not heartless. All of the characters have their flaws. And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change the pairing for this fic. I like Lettuce, too, because she **is** nice, and I intend on keeping her in the story. Maybe I'll do an RxR one-shot someday... 

Bree - Bad girl, no cookie for you! I'll be taking that knife. x.x 

Some songs I listened to while working on this chapter... "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Green Day, "Every Heart" Inuyasha, and "Waiting for Magic" Ace of Base, among others. This chapter didn't turn out at all how I had planned, but I guess it's alright. Let me know what you think, okay? I may add to it because even though I fought with it, it still turned out rather short... 

And... more responses at the end... 

Chapter Nine - Caught Without an Umbrella

My feet seemed to get heavier and heavier as I sloshed through the streets, seeking the warmth of the pink castle which I had accepted as 'home'. The ball of fur cradled in my arms didn't make a peep the entire way. I don't know what it is with me and cats. I guess since the Mew Project, they've become almost as important to me as humans, but besides that, no one deserved to be left out in the cold. 

I flung the cafe door open, flicking on the lights as I crossed through the doorway and into the dining area. The kitten growled a bit, disturbed by the sudden contrast in lighting. I snagged a towel from the closet, dumped it in a chair, and placed the feline down on it. The bedraggled creature curled into a tighter ball, trying to keep warm. 

I shivered myself, "Just hang on a sec and I'll be back with the hairdryer..." 

Climbing the steps, I ducked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel for my own hair, Keiichiro's brush, and the miniature hairdryer. Realizing I was still soaking wet, I kicked off my shoes and shed my shirt, leaving them in a heap by the door. 

I returned to find the little one in the same state as I had left her. I plugged the appliance into the closest outlet. 

"I know this is going to be loud, but we need to dry you off," I explained, lifting the kitten down from the chair and setting her on my leg. She groaned a bit in protest, but made no other motion to stop me. 

The hairdryer hummed to life, blowing out warm air. When I was convinced that my patient was not going to move, I picked the brush up in my other hand, and began brushing out the tangles with one hand and holding the dryer with the other. After a while, she started growling in protest. She probably wanted to curl up in some dark corner, alone, and fall asleep, unbothered. 

"Not yet, koneko-chan..." Satisfied that no more matted fur was to be found, I discarded the brush and continued blowing the warm air. As her coat dried, it kept it's shiny onyx coloring. There were no bells or tags on her anywhere. Probably a stray. A few moments later I switched off the appliance and sat it beside me. 

"Nyaa..." she said quietly. 

"Yeah, I'm done. You must have had a rough day. I've never seen that many tangles in my own hair, and that's saying a lot." 

The cat mumbled a bit, still resting. I reached my hand out and scratched her cheek gently, and behind the ears. She seemed to become less tense under my touch, and after a while a light rumble rose from deep in her throat. The motion was comforting, and I continued to stroke her, fueling the rhythmic sound of a contented soul. 

The kitten continued to purr, slowly allowing her eyes to open. Soft pink eyes. _No way..._

I stared at the cat. The cat stared back. After what seemed like a year, her eyes widened and she let out a loud scream, swiping at me with her claws, back arched, and leaping away and onto a chair a safe distance from me. 

"Oh yeah... I really needed that..." Glancing down at my arm, I saw that there were now four burning red lines decorating it. 

_'What the heck are you trying to do to me!'_ she screamed in cat-speech. 

"Only bringing you out of the rain, idiot!" I shot back. 

_'Why am I here? Where's Masaya? Why am I here? Why are you... kyaaaa! Put some clothes on you jerk!'_ she panicked. 

"Oh, like you haven't walked in on me atleast twice before..." 

_'Sh-shut up!'_

"And anyway, what happened to your bell? It's not like I knew it was you..." 

She thought about this, _'My... my bell?'_ She turned her head to stare at her tail, then brought her paws up towards her neck, _'Oh no! My bell's missing! What am I going to tell Masaya!'_

I shrugged, rising, and decided that I would put a shirt on. Returning, Ichigo was pacing across the table top, mumbling to herself. 

_'You never answered my question! Why am I here?'_ she hissed at me. 

"You were staggering around an alley during the downpour. I thought I was doing a stray a favor." 

_'Why was I there? Last I remember, I was dancing with Masaya...'_ she wondered aloud. 

I slid a chair out from under the table and sat. 

_'He must be so worried about me! I just left him there... I hope he's okay...'_ she continued to fret. _'And he was going to get me another glass of punch too... That's the last thing I remember...'_

I thought about it. She had somehow gotten excited and turned into a cat... atleast it had to be something along those lines. Wait... Punch? 

"Ichigo, how many glasses of punch did you have?" I asked. 

She stopped pacing, and looked at me, _'I dunno. three or four maybe.'_

"I think it was spiked..." 

_'Spiked? You mean...'_

"Maybe someone snuck liquor into the punch bowl and the effects of the alcohol in your system, which you had obviously never had before... messed with your head and ended up turning you into a cat..." 

_'You have got to be kidding me! I'm not a drunk!'_

"You're so little your system probably has very low tolerance for that sort of thing," I pointed out, "Then you must have left the party and lost your bell somewhere along the way." 

_'This is awful! I have to find it!'_ she protested. 

I gave a shrug, "In the rain? You'd never find it. Just have that guy buy you a new one." 

_'But it was important to me!'_ she yelled back. 

"Well, I know that..." 

_'Then quit being a meanie and help me look for it!'_ she demanded loudly. 

"You're going to stay like that?" 

Continuing without noticing my question, Ichigo shook herself off and bounded across the floor, _'If we hurry, maybe we can find it before it gets too dark! Yes, exactly! Let's... um... what?'_ She looked to the floor, which was right under her, then up at the ceiling, which was many yards away, then at her paws. 

_'Um... I'll just stay this way... I think... until we find Masaya.'_

"It'd save us trouble if you resumed your human form. Besides, you have a cellphone, don't you? You could call him and find out where he is and if he's seen your bell." I crossed my arms boredly. 

_'You really enjoy making me feel stupid, don't you?'_ she asked me in an annoyed tone. 

"Not particularly." 

The cat sighed, paced in a circle, then sat again, _'You know I have to kiss something to change back.'_

"Yeah, I know." 

_'There's nothing around to kiss.'_

"There isn't?" I joked. 

_'I am **not**... no!'_ If it was possible for cats to blush, she just did. Grabbing her near the shoulders and hoisting her up in one quick movement before she could realize what was going on, I brought her close. My lips lightly touched the pink of her nose. 

Ichigo squirmed, screaming insults into my ear, as a pink glow bloomed around her. When the light receeded, Ichigo stood there awkwardly in the same clothes I had last seen her in. "You are such a jerk! I can't stand you!" 

"I just did you a favor..." 

She fell silent then, looking away abruptly, "That's your excuse." 

"You can call him now," I offered. 

Ichigo hastilly brought out her cellphone and pressed '1' on speed dial. Two rings later and her expression brightened, "Masaya! I'm soooo sorry! ...huh? No, I'm fine. I'm... with a friend. ...really! I was so afraid I'd lost it! Drive home? Uh... no, that's okay... I'm fine. Yeah, see you tommorrow. Love you too, bye. Muah!" The strawberry ended the call and turned her attention back to me. 

"He found my bell..." 

"That's good," I replied quietly. 

Ichigo dropped the cellphone back into her pocket, "Shirogane... could I have a hot chocolate, please?" 

"Hunh?" I blinked a few times before taking in her request, "Uh... sure... but it won't be anything like Keiichiro's..." 

"That's okay..." 

As I made up two mugs of hot chocolate, Ichigo returned to her seat at one of the tables and rubbed her head with her fingertips. Returning, I sat next to her and handed her the mug. 

"Uh, thanks... I have a headache now." 

"There's some medicine in the cabinet..." I started to explain, prepared to get up again. 

"No. I don't want it. Who knows what sorts of weird things it'll do to me if I take it..." she rolled her eyes and took a sip of the hot chocolate, blowing on it first. 

"It's too rich, huh?" 

"No, it's fine," she insisted. 

There was a long pause. Neither of us spoke. Finally Ichigo gave in. 

"So you're living in the cafe alone while Keiichiro's in Egypt digging up stuff at the pyramids?" 

"Yeah..." I acknowledged quietly. 

"Don't get me wrong or anything. I don't feel sorry for you..." she grumbled. 

"Good. You remembered I told you not to," I approved, faking a smile. 

Ichigo frowned at that, "You just seem like the sort of person who may not show it, but actually thrives on interractions with other people." 

"...so what do you want from me? Knowing you, there's a reason why you didn't leave." 

Ichigo toyed with the bow on her dress. "Well..." she started, glancing up at me, "You don't care if I show up tommorrow, do you?" 

"No..." 

"Good! Because I really want to see Lettuce and Pudding again!" she announced with a brief grin, "It's too bad that Zakuro-san isn't here, though... and Mint, even if she was a pain in the butt sometimes..." 

I took a sip of my hot chocolate, letting a silence linger. 

"I'll be honest with you, Shirogane," she continued, her voice getting flat, "Some part of me actually missed you while I was in England. Funny, huh?" 

"Not really..." I answered cautiously, "It was too quiet." 

"Eh?" 

"It was too quiet here... I missed having my ultimate weapon around." 

"Oh? Is that so! I guess an ultimate weapon is still all that I really am to you." 

"No, Ichigo. Besides, you're not a Mew Mew anymore... I can't really call you my ultimate weapon." 

She said nothing for a while, playing with her bow again, "...no. You can't really... can you?" 

"Nu-uh..." 

"Um, hey, I have another favor to ask you!" she spoke up suddenly. 

"Boy, you're a pain! What is it?" I grumbled, crossing my arms and sending a smirk in her direction. 

Seeming somewhat encouraged by the return to my usual self, Ichigo sheepishly brought out the little pink fluffball I had given her long ago. 

"Masha quit working a few days after we defeated Deep Blue..." she explained appologetically, "Do you think there's a way you can fix him?" 

"You waste my time, make me fix you hot chocolate and now you tell me that you've broken my robot? Geez, Ichigo..." 

"I'm sorry! It wasn't my fault!" came a defensive protest, "Besides, you never explained much abaout him..." 

"I'm joking; let me see," I took the R2000 from her and looked it over quickly, "Well, the problem's definately internal." 

"Uh-huh..." she mumbled, lost already. I retrieved a screwdriver from a drawer and sat back down gingerly. It was nice to have an excuse to tinker with something again, although I couldn't figure out why the creature had stopped functioning. Examining the inside, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I tightened a few things and flipped a few switches. Bored, Ichigo leaned forward in her chair to see what I was doing. 

"Is he fixable?" she questioned. 

"Nothing appears to be broken... so I don't know why..." Tightening another screw, the object pulsed in my hands, stratling us both, causing a shriek on Ichigo's part, and me to jolt backwards. I bolted the back panel down as oversized eyelids pulled back to reveal huge eyes. Wings hummed to life, and R2000 rose into the air. 

"Welcome back, welcome back!" it greeted. 

"Masha!" Ichigo cheered, cuddling the cat-eared plushie, "You're back, nya!" 

"I'm back, I'm back!" R2000 agreed. 

"Nya?" I cocked an eyebrow. _Why did she just say... 'nya'?_

Ichigo giggled nervously, "Sorry, I got used to saying it, but anyways. Arigatou, Shirogane!" 

"Sure..." I replied, allowing a slight smile. 

"Woohoo! Masha's back!" she returned to her seat and drank up the rest of her hot chocolate quickly while R2000 floated around our heads. 

"Why did you want it back anyway? It's not very useful now that the aliens have stopped attacking..." 

"I dunno," she admitted, "But I got used to having him there ever since you gave him to me. Besides, he can track things besides aliens you know! He's very useful for sales hunting." 

"How nice to know my work is being used at the Tokyo Mall..." 

Ichigo laughed, punching my arm, "I wasn't being serious! Well, yeah I was, but... he's also good for finding people in crowds, and for delivering letters and..." 

"Anything not involving that guy?" I interrupted. 

"And doing homework?" 

I shook my head, "You haven't changed." 

"Neither have you, if that was a complaint," she shot back. 

"I'm not sure if it was or wasn't," I explained further. 

Ichigo countered, "You still haven't changed." 

"Fine..." I accepted my fate. I didn't have to change, did I? There was no reason to. 

Ichigo sighed, "Well, I think that was enough excitement for one day. I'll never drink punch again." 

"And I'll never rescue you again..." 

"You don't need too," she sniffed. 

"I will anyway..." I admitted. No point in lying on that note. 

Ichigo was petting R2000, but she paused briefly and tilted her head at me, "Why? I have Masaya... I don't need you to risk your life for me anymore. Besides, what in the world could possibly happen to me now?" She laughed light-heartedly. 

"Because..." I started. 

"Because...?" she asked. 

The pink thing shot out of Ichigo's lap and hovered over the table between us. 

"Chimera Anima, Chimera Anima, Chimera Anima, Chimera Anima!" R2000 repeated urgently. Over and over, those syllables formed in the air. Neither I nor Ichigo budged. This couldn't be right. It wasn't possible. We had defeated all of the Chimera Animas. 

"Shirogane, is Masha still broken?" Ichigo asked quietly. 

"Unlikely..." Finally getting ahold of my senses, I bounded downstairs to the lab, a flashing red orb met me on my descent, a muted alarm sounding. I pulled up the closest chair and set to work on the nearest keyboard. 

Ichigo scampered down the steps after me, voice shaking, "Sh-shirogane?" 

My fears stared back at me from the other side of the monitor. _No. This wasn't happening..._ Time stopped. 

Ichigo was shaking me when I snapped out of my trance, "Shirogane! Shirogane! Tell me what's going on!" 

"We missed one of them, Ichigo..." my voice came out as a whisper. 

"What do you mean by 'we missed one'?" 

"Do you remember, Ichigo, the Chimera Anima that Deep Blue supposedly destroyed? It was one that Pie enhanced..." 

"Yeah... I think... I remember it..." 

"It wasn't destroyed in that blast, Ichigo, it transported itself to another location until it could recover... it wasn't created by Pie, it's been here for hundreds of years..." 

"What! Are you absolutely sure?" 

"Yes, Ichigo. That was the Chimera Anima that killed my parents. I'd recognize it anywhere... and these computers don't lie." 

_A/N: Mew Popsicle and Ameku get cookies. You basically figured it out... I must be really predictable... _

So far I only have the pinata idea for the birthday party. Please send in more ideas for things we can do at the birthday party at the end of this fic. We wanna make it fun! If it helps, it's going to be Ryou's birthday party! 

Chapter Ten next, "Red Alert". Please keep reading, nya. And thanks for the reviews. 


	10. Red Alert

_A/N: Here we go... Chapter 10. It's pretty long. I need to start pacing myself here. I thought I was behind but I'm actually not. Yeah, I'm keeping a list of the main points of each chapter, but there's lots of spare room. But just look, it took this long to get to the main plot... Heck, the entire last chapter turned out completely different from what I was planning. Maybe I'll write up that chapter sometime, the way I had originally pictured it. I dunno, just goes to show that you don't create a story, the story creates itself and you just right it down, although I've wrestled with this one. I've never finished a long story in my life, so if I accomplish this, hopefully I can write up and finish my original story someday. Anyhow, thanks and enjoy._

Chapter Ten - Red Alert

The image of her demonic figure played on the monitor. A numbness had welled up in my stomach, making it hard to breathe. I felt sick. I wanted to punch something and throw a tantrum. I didn't care how selfish that would be, or who saw me, that's really what I wanted to do at that moment. 

"I'm sorry..." Ichigo's voice came in a soft whisper. I didn't move. I couldn't. 

The girl shifted uneasily, smoothing her dress, before attempting to speak again, "What are you going to do?" 

"I... don't..." I wasn't even able to finish my sentence. 

"Would you like me to leave?" 

"Not really..." I answered in a hollow voice. 

"Can I get you anything?" 

"...no. I'm not going to ask you for anything." 

Ichigo sighed exhaustedly, seeing that she was getting nowhere with me. R2000 had quieted and was floating near her head. I gradually brought myself to my senses. 

"I should call Keiichiro and tell him what's going on." 

"Uhm... yeah..." she agreed, handing over the pink cell. 

"Save your minutes, I have my own phone." 

As I headed for the hallway phone, with Ichigo and R2000 trailing behind, a loud rapping came to the door. 

"Who could that be?" Ichigo wondered aloud, "It couldn't be Masaya, because he doesn't know I'm here..." 

Ichigo tried to peer out the peek hole, but it was out of her reach. Slowly and cautiously she let the door open a crack. Whoever was on the other end pushed the doors open the rest of the way, causing Ichigo to slide backwards across a still wet floor and crash into me. 

"Oof!" she complained. 

"Hey! Watch it, strawberry!" 

"Not my fault..." she whined. 

"Oh... forgive me..." the figure appologized, closing the door behind him and immediately removing shoes and a raincoat. His hair hung in a limp chocolate colored ponytail. His face, which was usually composed of a polite smile, was now composed of weary eyes and brows that were knit in concern. 

"Akasaka-san!" Ichigo cheered, clapping her hands together. Keiichiro was not, however, in the most pleasant of moods. 

"Ryou!" he shouted urgently, "There's something you have to-" 

"I know, Keiichiro." I gave him a grave nod and he sighed. His face softened a bit into a look of compassion, "I'm so sorry... I couldn't be sure, so I wasn't able to tell you sooner." 

"Don't feel sorry for me," I hissed bitterly, "What's important now is finding a way to stop that demon before she harms anyone else." 

Ichigo didn't speak. I know Keiichiro told her the entire story of the Mew Project's origins, so she could follow what we were talking about without too much trouble. 

"How are we going to stop it?" Keiichiro asked softly. 

That was the question. _How?_ Nothing came to mind. The Mew Project had ended, all of the girls had lost their powers, and it would take too long to relaunch the project. Besides that, what were humans against something like that? _No. There **had** to be something. Anything._

"Why don't you ask the girls to-" Keiichiro started. 

"It's impossible. You know that, Keiichiro," I interjected, "I know we hypothesized that the red data animals' DNA might come back on its own if another threat arose, but it's false. I saw Pudding... and Lettuce... the injection marks have been wiped clean away. They can't fight." My brain was working in overdrive, reviewing every ounce of information that I knew about the aliens and the Chimera Animas. There was no way to contact them either, and by the time we actually did see them again, if ever, it would be too late. 

"What's that you just said? About the injection mark?" Ichigo asked. _How dim could this girl get? Hadn't she learned anything!_

"Duh, Ichigo! I just said that your mark went away some time after the fight with Deep Blue. The same thing that happened with the others." 

"...no..." she squeaked in an unsure voice. 

"Yes..." I corrected. 

"Um, no," she insisted. 

"Ichigo, this really isn't the time for games!" I growled. 

Keiichiro sweatdropped, "Ichigo-san... Ryou..." 

"Look, smarty, I'm not playing games!" Ichigo yelled, "I'm telling you that you're wrong!" 

"Oh-ho, who's telling who!" I hissed, "The little ichigo neko is telling me I'm wrong?" 

"Yes." Next, Ichigo did something very unexpected. Seating herself, she immediately kicked out her right leg and began hiking up her dress, causing Keiichiro to whirl around, blushing as he stared down at the place where a blank wall met the floor. 

"What are you!" I protested, eyes glued to the girl who had apparently just lost her mind and also forgotten that the other two humans in the room were males. 

"See! You're wrong!" she announced a little too forcefully, pointing to a place on her inner thigh. 

For once in her life, Ichigo was right. There, in plain view now that her dress wasn't covering it, was the mark. The Iriomote Wildcat's injection mark. I would never hear the end of it. 

"Um... Ichigo..." 

"What! Are you gonna appologize now, hotshot?" 

"...your underwear is showing..." 

"Kyaaa! Pervert! Hentai!" she screeched, throwing the nearest object which was the hairdryer. It missed me by about a foot. 

"I wasn't!" 

"You were too!" 

"I wasn't, you idiot!" 

"Ryou... what happened to my brush?" 

After everything had calmed down a little bit, a serious conversation resumed. 

"So, how come I'm the only one who still has a mark?" 

I would have corrected her that there were _two_ people who still had a mark, but I brushed that thought aside. 

"Well, Ichigo-san, the Iriomote Wildcat's DNA proved to be the strongest of the five during the testing stage..." Keiichiro started. 

I continued for him, "We're not sure why, but it is. This explains why you were affected the most. The wildcat's powers are very dominant, that's why you turned into a cat and none of the others did. That's also why you started experiencing many more symptoms than the others." 

"They didn't experience any at all," she grumbled, "except Mint could talk to birds." 

"Some of the symptoms are not extremely noticeable, but they all had atleast minor symptoms, I'm sure." 

"You were sure my mark was gone too," she pointed out. 

I _knew_ I'd never hear the end of it. 

"Ichigo-san, we don't want to burden you further, but... do you think you could help us defeat this enemy?" 

Ichigo stared at him with a blank expression. I knew what was going through her head. This time around, it would just be her. She had thought everything was over, and now the Mew Project had somehow flared back into existance right when she was starting to get her own life straightened out. She didn't want this. She wanted a normal life again, which was what I owed her. 

"I..." her words were lost. She stared down at the floor, coming to grips with what was happening. This was supposed to be my problem. 

"Forget it, Ichigo. You don't have to help us." 

"Ryou..." Keiichiro looked at me with a shocked expression. 

"This is _my_ problem. It isn't your responsibility. It's really late. You should go home now." 

"Shirogane..." she stared up at me through sad eyes. I didn't meet them, but instead turned around and stalked towards the stairs. 

I heard heels click against the floor, "Shirogane!" 

Her call went unanswered as I retreated into the shadows. 

"Shirogane-oniichan! Wake up, na no da!" 

The sunlight played on my eyelids. Opening them slowly, I saw Pudding hovering above me. 

"Hiya! Didja sleep well, na no da?" she asked, flashing a cheerful smile. 

"Not really..." I answered, still half-asleep. I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, and covering a yawn. Pudding giggled and attempted to smooth down the blond mess on top of my head. 

"Not a morning person, eh? Na no da?" she joked. 

"No..." I swung my feet over onto the floor. My body didn't want to get up, but a quick glance at the clock told me I had better or the whole day was shot. 

"Shirogane-oniichan!" Pudding bounded infront of me, hands behind her back, "I have a surprise, na no da!" 

"Hunh?" 

She whipped something out quickly and pushed it towards me, "Ta da! Lunch!" 

I stared. Three onigiri sat neatly on a tray with a glass of juice. How she had managed that feat without spilling them, I would never be able to fathom. 

"Since when do you cook?" I asked cocking an eyebrow. There was no way these were edible. 

"I didn't make them, silly! They were made by Ichigo-oneechan!" 

"Ichigo...?" 

"Uh-huh!" she forced the tray towards me so that I took it. 

"Lettuce-oneechan will be here soon, na no da! Come down and play with us once you've taken a shower and all that, na no da!" The yellow girl bounded away quickly, with energy to spare. 

Now I _knew_ they weren't edible. Making sure my door was shut, and that nobody would come to bother me, I sat back down at the foot of my bed and ate what would be my luncheon. 

After the plate was clean, I quickly grabbed a towel, shut the bathroom door, and headed into the shower. The hot water felt good against my skin, but at the same time, it almost put me to sleep. I still didn't know what to do about the current situation. I supposed I'd have to find a way to destroy her myself. Fifteen minutes later, I stumbled drowsily from the shower and back into my room. As my fingers found the zipper on my bluejeans, the bedroom door creaked open. 

"Ryou-san? Pudding-chan says that- eek!" the poor girl spun away embarassed, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I should have knocked!" 

Lettuce was really starting to pick up things from the other girls... I blushed, buttoning them quickly, and throwing on my favorite black vest, "Forget it." 

"I'm _really_ sorry!" she appologized, turning back towards me slowly when she was sure I was fully clothed. 

"Yeah, so what's up?" I asked, now wide awake. 

"Pudding-chan said you were up here for a long time, so I came to check on you... Akasaka-san told me what happened..." her voice fell to a whisper as she looked up at me uncertainly with a sad smile. 

"Oh..." I now realized her appology wasn't for her failure to knock alone, but also for what happened. 

"I know you don't want any of us worrying, but... if it makes you feel any better, maybe we could talk about it... sometime... if you want to, that is..." she continued cautiously. 

"Lettuce?" 

"Uh... hai?" 

"Thanks... I appreciate it." 

The shy girl smiled, "Sure." 

I resumed my seated position on the bed, Lettuce crossed the room quietly and sat next to me, ready to listen in that gentle and caring way of hers. 

"You see... the Mew Project is over... None of you girls have your powers anymore, save Ichigo, and I'm not even sure that she's retained her full power after all this time. Even so, I don't think she alone can defeat that monster. I'm not trying to be a pessimist..." 

"You don't think Ichigo-san will be able to suceed?" she questioned. 

"I don't know. I think she'd be too distracted. She shouldn't _have_ to fight. None of us should. I just don't know what to do..." I admitted. 

The green-haired girl squeezed my hand reassuringly, "I'm sure you'll think of something. You always have in the past. I think Ichigo-san realizes that she's needed. If there's anyway at all that I can help, I'll do whatever I can!" 

I shook my head, "Thanks, but there's really nothing you can do." 

"...oh... Ryou... is it really true? Did she really...?" asked Lettuce in a whisper. 

"Yeah. Papa had brought back a fossil he found during research in Egypt. He kept it behind glass in his laboratory, and kept a close eye on it. He said the remains belonged to an ancient lifeform. It was a truly ugly thing, but at the same time, extremely fascinating. I think Mama asked him several times to donate it to a museum so we wouldn't have to look at it, but Papa insisted that this was going to help him with his Mew Project... and it did... in an ironic way..." my voice started to crack again. Lettuce placed a warm hand on my shoulder, looking about ready to cry with me. 

"And one evening, while Keiichiro and I were driving back from school... she freed herself from that prison and set fire to my house. Both of my parents were..." I choked. 

"I'm so sorry, Ryou... I didn't mean to bring that up..." she said, clunking herself on the head, "I'm so stupid. I should know better." 

"No... it's alright..." 

"...but... you know, sometimes it's better to just let yourself cry. When things are sad, it always helps me to tell someone, rather than bottling all that pain up inside... it makes the sadness a little more bearable..." she explained gently. 

I knew she was right. It was my own pride that kept me from showing my emotions, but keeping those emotions inside hurt more than they would if I let them go. It wouldn't change anything either way, but releasing these emotions would help free me of that burden a little, so I could keep on living. 

It started in my stomach, a sort of tremor that flooded up into my shoulders. Water pooled in the corners of my eyes, as the tremor reached my voicebox. 

"You're right, Lettuce..." I whispered, my lower lip quivering. 

"Ryou... gomen nasai..." Tears were trickling down from her own eyes. 

"I felt so helpless. I wanted to save them. I would have done anything. But there was nothing... nothing at all that I could do... and now they're gone!" A sob escaped my mouth as long held back tears cascaded down my face. 

Unable to hold it in any longer, I cried into Lettuce's lap. The barriers that I had fortified around myself to hide the traces of my suffering and weakness crumbled right there like a soggy graham cracker in a child's fist. My sobs came out loudly and ungracefully. I felt a shaky hand as it stroked the back of my head. It wasn't just my parents I was crying for, I was crying for myself, and for every thing I had wanted to do and had never done. My fit finally quieted. _Why was I behaving like such a child?_

"Ryou..." she murmured. I forced myself back up, eyes now puffy and red. I hadn't finished. 

"After that, I vowed to finish the project for my father, atleast that's how it started. Soon I became obsessed with it, as if it was my only purpose... but now that it's over, I'm left with nothing. I took my youth for granted, my friends, my own dreams... so I'm left an aging man with few friends who has forgotten his own hopes and the faces of the people he's lost. 

"Why are you talking like this, Ryou?" she sounded hurt, "There are lots of people who care about you, if only you'd let them. You still have your whole life ahead of you to realize your own dreams. It's not over yet." 

"It was over long ago..." 

"No it isn't!" she yelled, making me start, "Ryou, it isn't over! You're just going to give up? That's not the Shirogane Ryou-san I know. You never gave up. You used to believe in yourself, and in us, and in your father's dream. So why did you stop believing in yourself?" 

I didn't answer. 

"Ryou-san?" she sighed. 

It all seemed to click. Everything. 

"Ryou?" he voice came again worriedly. 

I rubbed the water from my eyes with my fingers, "I'm okay." 

"Maybe you should get some rest..." she said hesitantly. 

"Nu-uh. I'm okay. EVerything just... suddenly made sense. Arigatou." 

"Uh... but I didn't..." she blushed. 

I shook my head, "That's not what I mean. Thanks for listening to my problems... and for the advice as well..." 

"It wasn't really..." her blush deepened. 

I rose to my feet. Now that my head and heart were clear, I could see what had to be done. If my intuition was right, there was a way in which I could end this. 

"Ryou-san? Are you positive you're okay? I mean..." 

I turned back towards her. Bending over, I pecked Lettuce lightly on the cheek, "Yes. I'm positive. Thank you, Lettuce. You've been a big help to me. ...please don't tell anyone? About my tantrum I mean..." 

Lettuce's face turned red as an apple as she stared at the floor for a moment, trying to recover from what had just taking place, "Iie, I won't..." She smiled sweetly and giggled, "I promise I won't tell a soul." 

As I reached the door, I heard a shuffling of feet outside, but when it opened the hallway was empty. _Must be imagining things._

I found the others in the kitchen. Keiichiro was trying to instruct Pudding and Ichigo in making parfait, and failing. 

"So, how much sugar does it use again?" The red-head asked. 

"Just use it all, na no da!" Pudding chirped, dumping half a bag of the white powder into a mixing bowl. 

"Pudding! That's way too much! Even I know that!" 

"Ah! Ryou!" Keiichiro greeted with a sweatdrop. 

"Yo..." I answered, hands in my pockets as I reached them. 

"You finally decided to get up, ne, Shirogane?" Ichigo inquired. 

"I'm up," I replied. 

"I didn't ask that..." she pointed out. 

"Anyway, I had some time to clear my head and I've realized that we can defeat this monster rather easily," I continued, rubbing my neck. 

Ichigo watched me with supressed interest, "Is that so?" 

"What have you come up with, Ryou?" Lettuce had joined us. 

"Well, if the right concentration is used... we can inject genetic material into her so that her powers will degenerate. Then, we should be able to defeat her." 

"Do what?" Ichigo asked. 

"I mean... the Red Data Animals' genetic material works against the UMA's system. In her weakened state, she could be destroyed." 

"You mean in her weakened state, Mew Ichigo could take her out, right?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow at me. 

"Well, that _would_ work..." 

"But I haven't agreed to anything yet." 

"I know you haven't. And you don't have to. I can do it myself." 

"Ryou! Don't say something so wreckless!" Keiichiro warned. 

"Whoo! Shirogane-oniichan is going to fight, na no da!" squealed Pudding, raising an arm in the air, "I wanna watch!" 

"No he isn't!" Lettuce insisted, "Ryou, you can't..." 

"I know it's your problem, but you can't fight that... _thing_," came a calm voice. 

"Hrm?" my eyes found the amber ones that belonged to the girl who had spoken. 

"You can't fight that thing on your own. You remember what happened last time. You and Lettuce both got hurt when she jumped in to save you." 

When I didn't answer she continued, "It's true, I don't want to fight. Things had just started to become normal again for me. But, we can't let her hurt anyone else. I've given this a lot of thought... I'll help as long as I can... Masaya's not too hot on the idea..." 

"Ichigo-san..." Keiichiro rested his arms on the red-head's shoulders, "We appreciate this, but we're not forcing you to fight. You shouldn't stress yourself over this. We will find a way to stop it on our own." 

"No, Akasaka-san! If I am still Mew Ichigo, there must be a reason for it... besides..." the catgirl perked up and batted her hand in the air, "I serve for the Earth's future, even if it's mainly just the future of the meanie who was once my employer. I'll do what I can, nya!" 

_A/N: Please send in more ideas for things we can do at the birthday party at the end of this fic. We wanna make it fun! If it helps, it's going to be Ryou's birthday party! We have pinata and spin the bottle suggestions so far. I'd like something really creative. _

Chapter Eleven, "Melted Icecream". Guaranteed cuteness. Yush. It was going to be titled "Melting Snow", but I changed it, ofcourse, after changing it, I realized there was no way around it being in December. In "Kokoro", Ryou's birthday is in October (on my birthday, his voice actor's birthday is in October too, so it does make some sense), so either a lot of time is going to pass in the remainder of the fic, or Ryou's going to have a really late, or changed birthday. x.x; Silly Cherry. Ah well. Hope this chapter wasn't too angsty/depressing for you and that some of you appreciated the little bit of RxR-ishness. Please keep reading, nya. And thanks for the reviews. 


	11. Melted Icecream

_A/N: Hurray for pointless humor and drama! Chapter Eleven up, nya. I get the feeling that writer's block is going to become my enemy for the remaining chapters. I've already forgotten a lovely little quote I was going to use. Ah well, hopefully it'll return to me. Thanks for the reviews once again, and please enjoy this chapter. _

Kiesha - He does have a mark, darn it! XD I have this card from the TCG, and Ryou's wearing an unbuttoned vest, and even though my scan of it is crappy, on the actual card it seems like there's a very faint red mark RIGHT WHERE he injected himself. So I'm convinced. And if I'm some loser who's seeing things, I don't care, because I'm a believer. It only makes sense for the injection to leave a mark, right? x.x; 

Fairy-chan - You do not need to tell me to R+I... I promise that you don't... O.o 

Oh-mi-gosh... must escape evil Mew Mew Power cut by working on this fanfiction... 

Chapter Eleven - Melted Icecream

_"I'm walking down the line / That divides me somewhere in my mind / On the border line / Of the edge and where I walk alone."_

Christmas came and went rather uneventfully. Lettuce had come to visit Keiichiro and myself on Christmas Day, but otherwise the two of us spent our time in the basement in front of the computers. So far _she_ hadn't caused any damage to the humans, but she seemed to have made the forest on the border of Tokyo her playground. I wasn't fooled, though. I knew that an eventual attack on mankind was imminent. The solution was complete and would act sort of like a tranquilizer. At the same time, it would work to weaken her natural defense against an attack. If Mew Ichigo could land a direct hit, full power, at just the right moment, the battle would be over. I knew in my head that things wouldn't be that simple. It would take several tries... and when the time did come, every second would be precious, so overall, our chance of success was slim. 

Where was I now? Waiting impatiently in the cold winter air at the train station. With today came our trip to Kyoto, and so far only two of us were present. 

_"My shadow's the only one that walks beside me / My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating / Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me / 'Til then I walk alone."_

"You know, I bet if you didn't listen to such depressing music, you wouldn't be so grumpy all the time." Ichigo's breath trailed behind her like smoke as she rubbed her gloved hands together to warm them, "Then again, when it's this cold outside, I suppose you have an excuse..." 

"You wimp. It's not that cold," I taunted. The truth was it was _freezing_. 

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Macho..." she grumbled, standing next to me as if I was a furnace. She snatched the MP3 player from my hands, unplugged it from my headphones, and reattached them to her own player. "Here! Happy music!" 

Bubblegum pop floated to my ears and I made a face, "Atleast it's not Britney Spears..." 

"She's on there," the red-head growled as she started browsing through my collection. 

"I knew it." 

"Actually, your tastes aren't as bad as I thought... I bet you sing this stuff in the shower when no one's around," she said, giving me a suspicious look. 

"Hardly," I muttered, searching for any signs of Lettuce or Keiichiro. It wasn't unusual for Lettuce to be late, but Keiichiro was normally early. He had mentioned something he had to do, but with him it could be anything. I heaved a sigh. 

"They'll show up, although when they finally get here we'll probably be frozen to the pavement," the girl commented inbetween strings of humming. 

"I know that." 

"You know we'll freeze? Now you change your mind about it being cold, huh?" 

"No, I mean I know they'll show up," I stated, pointing, "because there they are." 

"Sorry I'm late..." Lettuce appologized, dragging a large (and very heavy-looking) piece of luggage behind her. 

"Lettuce! This is just a day trip. What on Earth did you pack?" Ichigo gawked. 

Lettuce blushed, "Um, well... you never know what could happen, so I brought everything I could think of..." 

Ichigo slapped her forehead, "Oy, Lettuce! It's not like Mint doesn't already have everything a person could possibly need to survive AND live a life of luxury..." 

"Yes, but on the trip down..." she explained. 

I shook my head, "Don't worry about it, it's fine. Thanks for considering our well-being." 

"Uh, sure..." she squeaked. 

"Yeah, it's fine Lettuce. We'll just get Shirogane to carry it," Ichigo said, offering the taller girl a smile. 

_How kind of you, Ichigo._

"You won't mind, will you, Ryou?" asked Keiichiro with a practiced smile. I shot a returning glare in his direction. 

"Sure..." I grumbled, caving. 

"No, no! I can handle it!" came Lettuce's protest. 

I lifted the suitcase away from her, "It's okay. Don't worry about it." It didn't merely look heavy... it was heavy... 

The train still waited for us. We boarded with me still lugging Lettuce's things. Inside there were cushioned seats lining the walls and other places with handholds where you could stand. I wasn't even going to try to shove that heavy thing in the luggage rack above our heads. I took a seat in the rear of the car. Good thing this wasn't a plane, or we'd have issues to deal with. Lettuce came over and sat next to me. Keiichiro stood a ways off, and Ichigo claimed the next seat over from Lettuce. 

"I'm sorry you had to carry that... I know how heavy it is..." Lettuce appologized again. 

"Nevermind," I grumbled, shutting my eyes, "It's good exercise." 

"This is gonna be one long boring trip..." Ichigo pointed out, "Is there anything to do in that bag of yours, Lettuce?" 

"Well, I did bring some snacks, but as far as travel games go, I'm afraid I forgot to bring any..." 

"No worries! You have a pen and paper, don't you?" 

"I have several!" she replied, digging in the front pocket of the suitcase for them, "Here." 

"Great!" the catgirl cheered, "Okay! Akasaka-san! Shirogane, you're gonna play too, right?" 

I opened an eye and cast it at her, "Play what?" 

"A travel game!" she answered excitedly, "Okay, so it goes like this... you look out the window and keep track of what you see. Birds are 5 points, cats are 25 points, dogs are 20, cows are 100 points, horses are 125. A bridge is 50 points. Sweet shops are 40, book stores 60, Chimera Animas 1000." 

"Chimera Anima?" I asked, twitching. 

"Yeah... sure?" she sweatdropped and laughed a bit, "No worries. I was joking. So, who's in?" 

"I'll give it a try," said Lettuce. 

"Sure, Ichigo-san," Keiichiro agreed with a nod. 

"How about you, Shirogane?" 

"I guess. But you're going to lose badly..." 

"I doubt that! Hey, how about we make a deal?" Ichigo plotted, pointing a finger in my face. 

"Oh yeah? What kind of a deal?" I asked with a smirk. 

"Loser does whatever the winner says!" she announced boldy, 

"Fine, but there won't be any cows, you know..." 

"Um, I think I'll sit this one out..." Keiichiro said decidedly. 

"Me too. Sorry for backing out at the last minute," Lettuce echoed. 

"That's the point, smartie, it makes you look!" she defended, handing me and pen and a sheet of paper. "Okay, go!" 

This was such a childish game, but what the heck? Ichigo and I dived for seperate windows. Lettuce and Keiichiro sweatdropped and found a safe place far away from us at the front of the car. 

"Book store, 60 points!" 

"A trio of cats, 75 points!" I countered, scribbling down what I saw on a sheet of paper while scanning the terrain. 

"Dog, 20 more points, and five birds, another 25..." she said, breathlessly. 

"Ten birds, 50 points." 

"Sweet shop! Forty!" 

"Bridge, fifty." 

"Oh my god, two horses carrying a buggy! That's 250 points, pal!" Ichigo whooped. At this point we were getting stares. And lots of them. 

I fell silent, "...Chimera Anima..." 

"What! Don't pull my leg, Shirogane!" Ichigo snapped, whirling angrily, "You can't cheat!" 

"I'm not..." 

Keiichiro and Lettuce rushed back over towards me, with Ichigo following suit. The colorful form stood out like a sore thumb amongst the gray clouds. She swooped down towards a lake, snatching up a large swam in her claws. I turned away quickly to avoid the scene ahead, as the graceful creature's body was shattered. 

"Oh no..." Lettuce cried out, trembling. 

"It's so close to the city... Ryou, we can't wait much longer." 

"Now!" Ichigo questioned, ripping her eyes away in mixed emotions of disgust and confusion. 

"No. Not now," I answered, "We have to wait until everything's in place... even if it's painful." 

"Shirogane!" Ichigo shouted. 

"It's true, Ichigo-san. Our plan won't work if all of the elements aren't ready... but at the same time, we can't procrastinate..." he snuck a glance in my direction as he said this. 

"Oh... okay then..." Ichigo replied shakily as she picked up her pen and pad and started tallying things up. 

Lettuce placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled sadly. I looked away. 

"Let's just try our best to enjoy this trip..." I muttered. 

"Okay..." everyone agreed finally. 

Ichigo next busied herself with counting up my findings, "And the results are in!" She shoved the two notes towards my face. "I win by five points!" 

"How do you figure that?" I growled. 

"Easy, I only called out every _other_ thing that I saw. And I also saw a cow," she explained with a smile, "That means, you _owe_ me." 

I looked them over, redid the math. Unless she was lying, she apparently _had_ won. I sighed, "So, what do I owe you, mistress?" 

"Quit making me sound old!" she growled, placing her hands on her hips, "I want a three scoop strawberry, mint chocolate chip, and cookie dough waffle cone. Oh yeah, and I'd like to see you NOT being a jerk for the next twenty-four hours!" 

"Is that _all_?" I asked. 

"Hrm..." she rubbed her chin as she thought, "One more thing! Can you make me a copy of your Maroon 5 CD?" 

"No way. Not the CD," I teased. 

"Yes, the CD!" She nodded and stalked off back to her seat, singing, "_...Try so hard to disregard / The rhythm of the rain that drops / And coincides with the beating of my heart._" 

Ichigo walked happily along the sidewalk, licking her ridiculously tall icecream cone which was dripping onto the cement. 

"Ugh! Why does it have to melt?" she whined, "Not that it's that big of a deal, because it's really good. Anyone want a bite?" 

"Ewww... Ichigo germs..." I gagged. 

"Hey! You're supposed to be nice today, you loser!" she hissed, waving the cone at me. 

I made a face, "But I am being nice... I'm letting you enjoy that cone all by yourself." 

"Yeah, whatever..." she mumbled, returning back to her job at hand. 

"Wow! So this is it? It's even bigger than the Aizawa mansion back home!" Lettuce marvelled, clapping her hands together. 

Indeed, it was a very, very large house... 

"Shall we ring the bell then?" Keiichiro asked. Making a 'ladies first' motion with his hands. 

"Oh, okay..." 

"My hands are kinda full, so Lettuce, you ring the doorbell!" 

"Alright..." she agreed, reaching towards the flashing button before the peace was interrupted by a loud wailing. 

"Noooooooo! I dropped it!" the catgirl fretted, ears twitching annoyedly. The other two laughed nervously. 

"Well, this is a fascinating sight..." I teased, rubbing the tip of the velvety black ear that now protruded from the strawberry's head, "And I almost thought they were fake!" 

"What! My ears!" Ichigo whimpered, trying to shove them back down. In the process, a long black tail snaked out behind her and waved in the air of its own accord. I grabbed it. 

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!" she screamed, slapping me. 

A familiar head scowled back at us from behind the door. Cool amber eyes were framed by glossy black hair put up in odangos (buns) on either side of her head. Aizawa Mint. From between her legs there came a furred cinnamon-colored face with beady black eyes and a lopsided canine grin. Miki. His tongue lolled out as he barked a greeting. 

"My, my, it certainly took you long enough," she replied in a bored tone. "But really, do you have to make so much noise?" 

"You haven't changed either..." growled an annoyed Ichigo, ears and tail still easily visible. I rubbed the side of my face where her palm had contacted. She hit hard. 

Mint sighed, holding the door open for us, "Well, won't you please come in? And by the way, Ichigo, those black cat accessories really do suit you well. You miss fighting aliens so much that you bought them to remind yourself of the wonderful time we had together, didn't you?" 

"Oh! Be quiet!" 

The inside of the mansion seemed even larger than its exterior. Entering, two lines of maids parted like the Red Sea as Aizawa Mint ushered us inside. Within moments we were seated around a low table with steaming cups of tea infront of us. 

"So, Mint was right after all... about you being late, that is..." came another voice. 

"Oh my gosh! Zakuro-san!" Ichigo practically screamed, running towards the model and hugging her tightly. 

"Zakuro-san..." Lettuce smiled. 

"Hmmph..." Mint watched them, "I told onee-sama you were coming and she wanted to see you." 

Zakuro nodded silently and patted the catgirl on the head. I took a sip of the tea. 

"You haven't changed much either, Ryou," Mint pointed out, sitting her cup down. 

"I suppose not..." 

She looked me over suspiciously, then turned her attention back to Ichigo, "So, you still have your powers, hmm?" 

"Apparently... unfortunately..." she grumbled, "I just figured it out a while ago and already my cat ears are popping out." 

"Mind over matter, Ichigo. You thought it was gone, and so you didn't worry about it, but now that you know, well..." 

"Quit being so smart, you sound like Shirogane." 

"Do I?" she raised an eyebrow at the red-head, glanced at me, and then repositioned herself. 

"So, where exactly do we stand?" Zakuro asked me. 

"The Chimera Anima... it hasn't attacked any humans yet, but it's gaining strength... we need to take it out as soon as everything is ready..." 

"What is there to be ready? Akasaka-san already said the solution you created was finished." 

"Just finalizing a plan... since Ichigo is the only one who can still transform, we are left with limited options..." 

"I see..." Zakuro scowled at me. 

"Well, this should be a good experience for Ichigo. Let's see if she can do this alone and not botch it up," Mint suggested calmly. 

"Mint!" she yelled. 

"I was joking ofcourse. I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you don't trip." 

"Mean! Mean Mint!" she accused. 

"Well, besides that, would any of you care for more tea?" Mint accepted a tray from one of the maids. 

Without warning, I didn't feel so well. I rose clumsily. 

"Ryou?" came Keiichiro's voice. 

"Oh, it's nothing. I think it's from the ride... please excuse me..." I appologized and rushed off. 

"Hunh." 

Making my way down a wide corridor, I slipped into one of the bedrooms that looked like it had been empty for a while. I shut the door lightly behind me. The room was dim, lit only by the fading sun rays that flowed in from the window. I knew what this was. It was going to happen again, at the worst of times. A sudden sharp pain shot down my back, making it hard to breathe. 

"Why do you have to haunt me right now?" I hissed. Tripping when my legs gave out, I cursed under my breath. _Why does this have to happen right this minute? Here? With people around?_

I sank down to my knees. My view of the carpet became blurred as another wave of pain shot through my head and down my spine. Something wasn't normal. I was distracted by the nauseous feeling in my stomach, but the realization finally hit me as something furry brushed against my bare feet. _A tail... ears...?_ I wasn't in much of a position to be shocked. My field of view finally focused itself. At about that time, the sound of porceline breaking purged my eardrums. My head shot up. 

The person by the door took a step backwards. I could tell that she was trembling even from this distance. There was no point in asking how much she had seen, because I knew she had witnessed the entire scene. My new limbs apparently chose that moment to disappear again. 

"You... you're..." she stuttered. 

My eyes sought out hers, when I found them in the dim light, they were glistening with tears. 

"It's over," I said, keeping my voice as level as possible. 

"How can you say that so calmly? How long has this been happening!" she shouted. 

"It's been about five years hasn't it?" Not like she would know if I had the date right. 

"...this has been happening ever since you and Keiichiro finished testing the Mew Project, hasn't it?" she asked quietly. 

"Please don't tell him." 

"Tell him what?" 

"He doesn't know... about these attacks I mean. If he did, he'd worry about me even more," I explained. 

Ichigo tilted her head a bit, "Is it such a bad thing that people worry about you?" 

"I hate pity. People get that sad look in their eyes and it makes you feel helpless. Almost like you did something wrong yourself. Like you can't do anything for yourself. I _hate_ that." 

Ichigo looked away quickly and wiped her eyes, "Uh, yeah, but, if people worry, then they must really care about you, don't you think?" 

I shook my head, laughing bitterly, "It's not really the same thing." 

"Well..." she turned back towards me, "If you do me a favor, I'll promise not to tell Akasaka-san about this." She tried on a smile, which was genuine. A "cheer up" smile. 

My frown lightened, but I wasn't in the mood for smiling, "And that would be?" Now I was suspicious. 

"Um, well... you have an injection mark, too, right? I want to see it." 

"Where did this come from!" I almost yelled before realizing it was probably best not to. 

"I dunno," she laughed nervously, "It _is_ why you wear that stupid dog collar, right?" 

"And you've seen me without it before," I added. 

"Yeah, but you were kinda... and I wasn't paying attention. Besides, it's no big deal, right?" 

"No, but _still_..." I fought back. 

Ichigo huffed, "Pleeeaase? I'm doing you a favor... actually two, since I agreed to fight for you." 

"I told you that you didn't have to fight, remember?" I growled. 

"Let me see!" she insisted, narrowing her eyes at me. 

There was a long silence in the dimly lit room. She was glaring at my face, and I was staring right back into her amber orbs. Finally I gave in, finding a more comfortable sitting position. 

"Fine, but I don't want to hear another word about it. It's not like you haven't seen it before," I stated, as I brought my hands up towards the back of my neck where the collar latched. 

"What do you mean? I told you I've never seen it before..." came her confused response. 

My fingers slowly undid the collar, as if by going any faster the fabric would snap in half, "You want to be on the right side..." 

"Your right? My right?" Ichigo wondered, "Oh, your right..." 

The final latch was loosened. I let my eyelids drop as I pulled the collar away from my skin, and lowered my hands out of the way. 

Ichigo let out a short breath, "But... what? You're joking right? This is _my_ mark!" 

"Ofcourse it's your mark," I stated carefully, "The Iriomote Wildcat DNA ended up being the most unpredictable, and it was also the DNA we had two seperate samples of." 

"I knew you were fused with a cat, but... I figured it was a different type of cat?" she leaned closer to me to get a better look at the marking. A faint reddish design that looked like hers in every way. 

"Nope." 

I opened my eyes as I felt a finger tracing the outlines on my neck. I gave her an odd look. "Oh, sorry! I guess it's the same way with you, too. It always feels weird... the mark I mean..." 

"Hmmph," I grumbled. She was so close... so close that I could feel warm air on my shoulder as she breathed. 

"Are you like this because I'm still a Mew Mew?" she asked. 

"What are you talking about? You know very well that my body couldn't utilize the DNA. I'll always be like this, unless my human side starts to degenerate... then I'll turn into a cat..." 

"What!" apparently this had never occured to her. 

"You heard me. One day, I could become Alto permanently." 

"But... isn't there some way...? Maybe the Mew Aqua... or..." she suggested, but her voice was uncertain. 

"No. The Mew Aqua won't do any good. It kept me from being stuck as a cat in the beginning, but more wouldn't have any effect whatsoever. There's nothing we know of. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want you feeling sorry for me?" I frowned a bit. 

"I'm not feeling sorry for you!" she countered, "Maybe... maybe I actually care what happens to you, okay! Is that such a bad thing? You are human afterall... well, you know what I mean..." 

"Why would you care?" I practically spat. 

"Well... you've put yourself at risk for us! You saved me when I was stuck as a cat... I'm sure there's some quality in you somewhere that makes you worth caring about." 

"You're too kind," I growled sarcastically. 

"But I mean it... if there wasn't something or other, then I'd totally hate you, but... I don't, so I must care, right?" 

"You're not making any sense." 

"Unlike you who never makes sense because you use all that smart scientific vocabulary that only you and Akasaka-san understand." 

Ichigo's head thumped against my shoulder. 

"Gomen..." she murmured in a tired voice, "I've suddenly gotten really sleepy... it's been a long day..." 

"Long rides usually make people sleepy," I explained. 

"That and being a cat... Shirogane...san? Can I ask you something?" 

This was unusual. _-san?_ I had never heard her being formal with me. Ever. "You can ask it, doesn't guarantee an answer." 

She punched my arm lightly, "Geez... But, anyway, well, I was wondering if you..." 

"If I...?" I prodded. 

"If you have-" Ichigo's voice was cut off by a cheerful digital melody coming from her back pocket. She whipped the device out, checked to see who it was, and clicked on a button. 

"Moshi moshi, Masaya," she greeted. Pause. "Yeah, sure I can chat with you for a while... hang on a minute..." Putting the call on hold, Ichigo dragged herself to her feet. 

"Um, well... it wasn't important. I promise I won't tell a soul, and, I'll come back and clean that mess up..." she told me, before dashing off down the hallway to resume her call. 

_Notes: The song is "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day. _

Lyrics from "Sweetest Goodbye", Maroon 5. Gotta love Maroon 5. 

A/N: Nah. Hope you like. I surprise myself. I **still** haven't gotten so much RxI in the story yet. Geesh, Lindsey, what's wrong with you? Anyways. The chapters are getting long. Heh. Kinda cool, huh? But I can assure sappy scene in the next chapter, because there's no way for me to avoid the sappiness, and the story is set up for it. Might add in an extra since the gang spends the night at the Aizawa house. Suggestions, comments, all that are appreciated. 

More suggestions for games at RYOU's B-DAY PARTY! Are also appreciated. Thank you. 

Chapter Twelve, "When I Fail", another title change so as to not be a spoiler as to what happens. Please wait for it, nya. n.n 


	12. When I Fail

_A/N: Finally, chapter 12. I've noticed that my chapters keep getting longer as I try to squeeze everything in. Heh. I don't guess there will be too many complaints if it's longer, huh? I hope this is fluffy enough for you. And I hope no one's way out of character. Let me know what you think. Thanks. _

Keisha: Answer - That's not why this chapter is titled that... Whether that's good or bad, you can decide for yourself. 

Chapter Twelve - When I Fail

It got dark quickly and Mint let us spend the night. Coincidentally, I was escorted to the very room I had entered earlier. The bed was predictably luxurious, and the rug still smelled faintly of tea where Ichigo had broken the cup before. I couldn't help but wonder what nonsense she was going to say when she was interrupted by her phone call from Aoyama. He'd _always_ be her top priority. I flopped back onto the pillow. It was filled with feathers, I could tell. Comfortable as it was, I would have traded it for my bed at home anyday. I laid there awake for what seemed like days, thinking about everything. I was actually quite tired, but I just couldn't sleep. I even wanted to sleep. 

A tapping sound came from the door as it swung open and footsteps grew in audibility until a shadow hovered over the bed. 

"What do you want?" I asked in what must have been a very drained voice. 

"Everyone else is asleep..." she explained. 

"And why aren't you?" I asked smartly. 

"I woke you up didn't I? I guess I should appologize even with you being who you are," she sniffed. 

I repeated more sternly, "Why aren't you asleep, Ichigo?" 

"I was... but... I had a dream. At home I go to okaa-san, or when I'm with Masaya I tell him about it, but they're not here and no one else is up this late. I was stupid to think you'd listen to me." 

"You're such a _girl_!" I joked. 

"You're such a jerk," she shot back in a whisper, "And you're going to wake everyone up." 

I dragged myself up to a sitting position, "Dreams aren't real. Dreams are dreams." 

She climbed onto the edge of the bed and sat there, "I know that! It's just... it seemed real... and Masaya had dreams about things that really did happen once... before he turned into Deep Blue..." 

"So? That's him." 

"Yeah, but I usually have really stupid dreams that make no sense at all. This wasn't like that. I mean, it didn't make any sense either but, atleast my other dreams are funny..." 

"Fine, let's hear it," I sighed. 

Ichigo grew quiet as she tried to interpret what she had seen, "Well... first, in the dream, I woke up in this red room. It was solid red - the walls, the ceiling, everything... And then Masaya was there... I could see him through the window but as I stretched out my arm, he seemed to get further and further away and I couldn't reach him." 

She stopped long enough to make sure I wasn't laughing. When she saw my expression was serious, she went on, "Then everything went black, like someone had turned out the lights and there was this loud screaming. When I can finally see again, Masaya's gone, but there's this shadow-figure person standing in front of me. I can't tell who it is, but it's just standing there. And Masaya is gone. I'm pretty sure the shadow isn't him - it's too tall to be him." 

"I see..." 

Ichigo clung to the front of my night shirt, letting her head fall against my chest. I could feel her body lurch as she let out a sob, and it was easily audible in her voice as well, "What if- what if something happens to Masaya? I could never forgive myself if he got hurt..." 

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I murmured after a moment, petting her hair without really thinking about what I was doing. 

"You can't be sure! My dream could be trying to tell me something and-" she choked. 

"You can't really be sure either. I'm no fortune teller, but a lot of times the meanings of dreams are less obvious than one would think. Sometimes they mean the exact opposite," I explained, trying to remember something about interpretations of dreams. 

"I still don't like it..." she grumbled. 

"You don't have to, it's a dream. It's not like it can materialize and bite you," I teased, pinching her nose. 

"You're bad with time aren't you? It hasn't been 24 hours yet!" she hissed, pushing me away and wiping her eyes. 

"Seriously, though. You should quit worrying about it and go back to sleep," I suggested, "I'm sure you're overreacting. Everything will be fine once we defeat that Chimera... Ichigo?" 

There was no response. I glanced across the bed and found Ichigo curled up asleep at its foot. Truthfully, it was a huge bed. Big enough for five or six people. I checked the clock awkwardly. It'd be morning soon. She needed her sleep and I knew she'd wake up and make a huge fuss if I tried carrying her back to her room. Then again, she'd probably kill me if she woke up in bed with me. Grumbling, I rose and walked off to the sitting area. Someone had left the radio playing over the speakers, and a whispered melody flowed from them. 

_"What would she say / I wonder would she just turn away / Or would she promise me / That she's here to stay / It hurts me to wait / I keep asking myself / Why don't you kiss her/ Why don't you tell her/ Why don't you let her see / The feelings that you hide/ Cuz she'll never know / If you never show / The way you feel inside."_

I must have fallen asleep sometime afterwards, because I was awoken by Mint who was standing above me with her hands on her hips. 

"Really, Ryou, if our beds were _too_ comfortable for you, you could have just said so," she said in a light and somewhat indignant voice. 

"No. Ichigo stole my bed," I replied with a yawn. 

"Oh. Why'd you let her? If it were me, I would have pushed her out," she raised an eyebrow at me and shrugged, "Then again, I'm not in love with her..." 

"I never said I was, either," I answered in a somewhat cold tone. 

"You didn't have to. You make it quite obvious, you know. Anyone who isn't a complete idiot would notice that. Unfortunately for you, Ichigo's a little slower than most," she waved her hand dismissively, "Then again, it would probably help if Ichigo wasn't currently dating Aoyama-san. If you really want her to know how you feel, I suggest you go tell her in a straight-forward way." 

"I didn't say that I did..." I voiced my words slowly. 

"Don't be silly, Ryou. Unconfessed love is no fun. I mean, what's the point in loving someone if you're going to keep it a secret?" she sighed, thinking of the person of her own affection, "Ofcourse, oneesama isn't dense like Ichigo. She knows how much I admire her." 

"I agree with Mint." I nearly fell from my spot on the couch as the second voice came from behind me. Zakuro. Girls like ganging up on people, don't they? 

"Good... morning..." I replied. 

Looking me in the eyes, she added, "If you're going to tell her - tell her; if not - don't. Don't just play around with Ichigo's heart or with your own, or you'll end up hurting the both of you." 

"Well, I hope everyone slept well," said Keiichiro as he joined us, "I suppose we should be going soon." _Yes, he always managed to step in at just the right (or just the wrong) moment..._

"You might as well stay for breakfast," Mint suggested, "Besides, I have a feeling Ichigo will be a while." On cue, we heard a loud thud as Ichigo zoomed out of my room and towards her own to change. 

"She certainly has a lot of energy in the morning, ne?" Lettuce asked with a sweatdrop. 

"Apparently so..." 

... 

"Geez! I can't believe I fell asleep in Shirogane's room!" Ichigo whined as she took another large bite out of her waffle. Even though she was dressed, she still looked like she had just gotten out of bed. Mint tried to fix her hair, but finally gave up and yanked at it instead. "Ow! Mint!" 

"You didn't even brush this yet, did you?" she asked calmly. 

"No. I haven't had ti- ow! Quit pulling, Mint!" 

I heard Zakuro sigh in the corner. 

After finishing up, we thanked Mint for her hospitality and started back for the train station. It was snowing lightly, something that I welcomed openly. Some had accumulated overnight. I've always liked the snow ever since I was young. Unlike rain, it seems to be a very tranquil and magical form of precipitation, and when the sun hits it, it'll sparkle. 

"Pretty!" Ichigo announced, stretching her arms, "I really hope it sticks, then maybe I'll get out of school tommorrow!" 

"Ichigo, that's really no way to think about it..." came Lettuce. 

"Wouldn't you like to get out of school, Lettuce? Then we could go sledding, and make snowcream, and build snowmen, and make snowangels..." she rambled, trying to convince her friend that a snow day would be a truly wonderful thing. 

"Lucky for you. I have an evening class no matter what," I interrupted. 

"Aww! Too bad," Ichigo teased. When I didn't come up with a smart reply, she blocked my way, "I was kidding you know..." 

"I know." Raising an eyebrow, I sidestepped out of the way and resumed a normal pace. 

"Are you still mad about last night or something?" she wondered aloud. 

"No. I never was." 

"He's just upset that he'll miss out on the weather, Ichigo-san..." Keiichiro explained. 

"Yeah right," she mused, "Is that really it, Shirogane?" 

"Possibly. Is there a rule that says I can't like the snow?" 

"No, I still get the feeling there's more to it than that, though..." she prodded suspiciously, "I'll save you some snowcream incase the snow gets yucky and melts, alright?" 

I shrugged, "Suit yourself." 

"Ha!" I sidestepped quickly as Ichigo hurled a snowball in my direction. It hit the ground instead. "Darn it! I missed!" 

In a quick motion, I gathered the matter up into my hands, formed it, and shot it back at Ichigo. My aim was low and it hit near her knee. 

"Nyaa!" she shivered, "That does it!" 

SMACK! Her aim hit the tree above me. "Nice miss, catgirl." 

"I was aiming for the tree..." she insisted, face falling a bit. 

THUD! Awakened by the impact, the limbs above me dumped their weight... right onto my head and shoulders and knocking me off my feet. I shook out my hair, "Brrr..." 

Ichigo burst out laughing, "I so got you! Ahahahaha! Hahaha!" Lettuce and Keiichiro chuckled slightly, but that soon subsided. Ichigo, on the other hand, crouched near the ground trying to compose herself. 

"Very amusing..." I said, smirking slightly as I brushed the dust from the arms and shoulders of my jacket and regained my lost footing. 

"Yeah, I thought so, hehehe..." 

... 

Sure enough, the next day was a snow day for most of the public schools in the area. Tokyo University, however, didn't believe in snow days, which meant that I still had an afternoon class. My students were in a similar mood to my own; they just wanted to get through class and go home. Today's topic was heteroygous and homozygous alleles and how they were affected by traits found in both parents. About 45 minutes had passed, and I was finishing up a diagram on the board when the notes of "This Love" sounded from my back pocket. I could have sworn I cut my cellphone off... not that anyone ever called me. 

The class stared at me critically as I pulled it out and saw that it was Lettuce. "Um, gomen..." I muttered an appology. 

"Just answer it, Professor-san!" one of the girls shouted. 

"Fine, one minute," I sighed, clicking it on, "Lettuce, you know I have class." 

"RYOU! IT'S AWFUL! The cafe... the cafe is...!" she panicked. 

"What is it?" I was getting worried now. I had never heard her sound so terrified in the time that I had known her. 

"The Chimera... and the cafe... fire... and Ichigo...!" she was out of breath and it sounded like she was under too much stress to think. A quick translation. The Chimera had attacked the cafe, set it on fire, and now Ichigo... _Ichigo!_

"Lettuce! Is Ichigo alright? Are you still there?" 

"We don't know! They just took her away in an ambulance. She was unconscious... and we couldn't wake her up! Ryou!" At that point sweet Lettuce burst into a fit of tears. 

This had to be a joke! There was no way something like this could have happened. No. A lump formed in my throat as I reminded myself that Lettuce would not lie to me, and that she'd never lie to me about something so serious. I couldn't muster up even the shortest of replies. I switched off my cell and turned towards about a hundred pairs of watching eyes. 

"Something's come up... Go home." 

Without another word I grabbed my coat and rushed out the door and down the steps, jumping the last three and searching frantically for my mode of transportation. 

Traffic seemed to be creeping along at snail's pace. I cursed under my breath impatiently as every single traffic light decided to go red on me. I finally reached the hospital around three. In that time, about every imaginable thought had flashed through my head. _'What if she doesn't wake up? What if she's already dead? What if she loses all memory of her life? What if she has to go through the rest of her days with a handicap? What if she's suffering from internal injuries? What if I never get to see that silly smile of hers again? Or tease her again? ...or see her breathing and alive and full of energy again?'_

I tried my best to suppress my emotions as I made my way breathlessly to the waiting room where the others sat or stood around with worried looks on their faces. 

"Ryou!" Lettuce was the first to notice me. She ran across the room and took the coat from my arms, "I'm so sorry I didn't call you sooner, and that I interrupted your class, and... Ichigo's in the emergency room right now. The doctors say her condition is unstable, but they're doing the best they can. They say they can't tell us anything for sure... so we're waiting..." her eyes glistened with more of the same tears that now stained her face. "Ryou, I'm scared. What if Ichigo doesn't make it?" 

With that, the shy Lettuce had voiced my own fears. I looked away, "Well... Ichigo is Ichigo... she'll make it through this..." Now all I had to do was convince myself. She must have realized this because she buried her face in my shirt and cried. I rubbed her back lightly, trying to comfort the girl in the glasses as I looked around at faces which all held a similar expression. 

"Pudding doesn't want Ichigo-oneechan to die..." Pudding whimpered, sniffling. Zakuro and Mint were looking off in random directions, not saying anything. Keiichiro was trying to sooth the monkey-like girl. I glanced around further and found a dark-haired boy staring out one of the windows. His eyes were cloudy as he wondered how this could have happened to his beloved. 

After an eternity, one of the doctors approached us. She nodded slightly and gave us the diagnosis, "Ichigo's resting right now. The surgery went very well, and we think she'll pull through alright, but we're still keping a close eye on her. I'm afraid we can't allow visitors for a while, however. You should all go home and rest as well. We'll let you know if her condition changes." 

"Please..." Aoyama spoke up, his voice was pleading, "Please let me see Ichigo." 

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you see her yet. If you come back tommorrow morning, then maybe, but she's still too weak for visitors now. I'm truly sorry. If she wakes up, I'll let her know that you all were here." 

Aoyama gave a nod and looked at the floor. 

"She's right. We should head home. There's nothing we can do here. We can come back first thing in the morning," Zakuro stated firmly. Slowly we all nodded agreement and retraced our steps towards the exit. Keiichiro must have noticed I was walking slower than the others, because he stopped, waiting for me to catch up, and laid an arm around my shoulders. 

"She'll be fine, you know. And about the cafe... you can stay at my apartment for a while if you wish. Better than being alone in a hotel room." 

"Thanks," I muttered. 

"Ryou, we're here for you..." he added gently. 

I shrugged, thrusting my hands into my pockets. Keiichiro saw that he wasn't really helping, and removed his arm, "Just don't do anything you'll regret, alright?" 

I came to a halt and watched him leave. He could see through anything, couldn't he? 

"Ryou? Is something else the matter?" came a soft voice. I hadn't noticed Lettuce behind me. 

"Um, no... I was just going to get a drink of water before I leave. My throat gets rather dry when I'm on my bike." 

"You're planning on sneaking in to see Ichigo, aren't you?" she asked in an even softer tone. 

"Uh... yeah..." I confessed. 

Lettuce smiled up at me, "That's so sweet of you. Please tell Ichigo-san that I'm praying for her safe recovery." 

"...Okay." I smiled back slightly, nodding. 

A few hours and one disgusting plate of hospital food later, I stood by the door to Ichigo's room. One of the nurses saw me and scolded me for standing there. 

Her voice came out harshly and very loudly, "Hey! The doctor said we couldn't allow visitors!" 

"Yes, I know that, but..." Now was the time for a clever excuse. "But Ichigo is like a sister to me. I know the doctor said he couldn't allow visitors until tommorrow morning, but, you see, I'll be flying overseas on a business trip. Since I am **the Shirogane Ryou**, and this is an **important** business deal, they won't let me postpone the meeting, even by a few hours..." I gave her what I hoped was a pleading look, "Please let me speak with my imouto-chan, even if it's only for a moment!" 

"Shirogane Ryou? So you **are** him! But still..." she glanced around nervously. The hallway was empty except for us. Sighing in defeat, she gave a slight nod and patted me on the shoulder, "I understand, just make it quick. If anyone finds out I let you in, I'll be in huge trouble." 

I gave her a wink, "I promise I won't tell a soul." That inspired a redness in her cheeks. She bowed quickly and scampered off. I smirked to myself. Apparently those drama classes paid off. 

I turned the nob slowly and let myself into Ichigo's room. It was a plain, bare, white room with that annoying hospital smell. I immediately headed for the bed, and found Ichigo lying there on her back with an IV jabbed into her arm, asleep. I leaned over her and brushed a few stray hairs away from her face, convinced that she was indeed asleep by the rhythmic in and out of her breathing. I remained leaning forward on the bed, searching for words whether she heard them or not. 

"Lettuce told me to tell you that she's praying for your recovery..." I murmured to the sleeping girl. There was no response, not that I expected one. 

"I'm so sorry, Ichigo. This was my fault. If I had just realized sooner that this Chimera still existed... and if I hadn't wasted time going after her... this never would have happened. The only thing we were waiting on... was me. Because I was planning to inject the solution myself. You can call me a coward if you want to, but I wasn't afraid of her, or getting hurt myself... I was afraid that she'd hurt _you_ somehow." I laughed bitterly, "I sound like such an idiot. You'd laugh at me if you heard me saying all this. Mr. Leader getting all depressive and sappy on you." 

I studied her face again. Her expression was still the same one as before - that of innocence and of sleeping. "In case you were wondering, Masaya was here for you, and so was everyone else. We're... all really worried, so you'd better get well quick." 

I took a few steps back from the bed, "But... what I wanted to say... no... what I never could say... is that... is that I love you, Ichigo. I know you think I'm a jerk, and maybe I am... but that's why I always treated you the way I did. I wanted you to notice me, because Masaya was the only person you ever really saw. Sometimes... I thought maybe I had a chance... but I know now that I was just being selfish. I hope after this battle is over you can go back to your life with him and be happy. And I hope someday I find even a fraction of the happiness you have. That's all I wanted to say. That, and I'm sorry that I failed. I said I'd always protect you, but it looks like I broke my promise." 

It had gotten fairly late. I heard the door squeak in protest as it was opened and a nurse waddled in. 

"Goodness!" she exclaimed, rushing towards us. She picked something up off the bed and tossed it towards a trash can. A flash of green fabric disappeared inside the metal bin. "Really, they shouldn't leave things like that laying around! Stupid newbies! And they call themselves nurses! It could be contaminated..." Huffing, she left the room, rolling her cart with the trash can away. 

I crawled out from my hiding place under the bed and transformed back to normal. I was fairly sure that no one would return to check on Ichigo until morning. 

"You owe me a new bandanna after all this, kiddo," I grumbled, easing myself onto the edge of her bed. 

"I'll keep watch over you tonight," I decided. 

The morning came early. I had managed to stay awake all night long, with basically nothing to occupy my time except for my thoughts. I greeted the sun tiredly. I was _never_ pulling an all-nighter again. 

I started at the shifting of covers. Ichigo mumbled something, turning her head towards one of the walls and gradually opening her eyes. That wasn't the only thing to open, however. 

I cursed inwardly as the door inched open and Aoyama stepped inside. 

"Huh? Was someone just here?" his eyes darted across the room towards me, but because of his position and the angle of the wall, my form was hidden from view. 

"Oh, Masaya!" she announced in a tired voice. 

He smiled softly, "Ichigo! You're awake. How are you feeling?" 

"Honestly, I feel awful," she answered with a laugh, "What happened? Where am I?" 

He frowned, replying in a serious tone, "Ichigo, there was a fire in Cafe Mew Mew. You fell. You're in the hospital now. You were in pretty bad shape, but they say you'll be fine. I'm so sorry I didn't-" 

"And you were so worried that you stayed by me all night. Thank you, Masaya." 

"Hmm? Ichigo?" 

"You were with me all this time, right?" 

"Figuratively. I'm always with you, koneko-chan. But nobody was allowed here until this morning." 

"But I was sure someone was here..." she insisted. 

"Nope, I don't think so, Ichigo." 

"Well then, I must have been dreaming about you!" 

"I guess so." 

My shoulders drooped. Ofcourse, if she had heard even a single word of my monologue last night, she thought it was Masaya talking. How many times could a person fail in one day? 

_Notes: Lyrics from Jesse McCartney's "Why Don't You Kiss Her?". Suika pointed this one out to me. _

"This Love". Yup. Maroon 5. 

A/N: Chapter Thirteen next, "Chosen One". Still looking for party games suggestions. Please review. Thanks so much. 


	13. Chosen One

_A/N: Just as a note, besides whining about pairings and couples, there is nothing that annoys me more than someone telling me to hurry up with a story while I'm in the middle of writer's block. Shame on you people! I've been working really hard on this fic, but I can't upload it til a chapter is finished... and I was stuck. Really stuck. So that's why this chapter is so... well, you can tell I was stuck... I really need to redo it. I DO, however, appologize for taking so long. Fifteen is almost finished and 14 shouldn't be too hard (so yeah, the first "ending" is written). And you know what? I forgot all about Masha... why didn't anyone tell me? X.x Why did I bring him back in the first place? XD Without further ado, lucky thirteen... _

Chapter Thirteen - Chosen One

I finally managed to creep out of that cage unnoticed. Halfway down the hall, Keiichiro found me, turned me around and practically shoved me towards Ichigo's room. 

"Keiichiro... I don't... I was already in there." 

"What?" he let me go then, "But they didn't allow visitors until..." 

"I know... I convinced one of the nurses to let me in last night..." I explained quietly. 

"Well, you still need to tell Ichigo-san exactly what's ahead of us, ne?" Keiichiro gave me a look and then entered Ichigo's room himself. Sighing, I followed suit. 

"Akasaka-san, Shirogane..." she said pleasantly, "You really didn't have to come here so early... I'm sure you have class and research and... stuff..." 

"No, no, it's fine Ichigo-san," Keiichiro assured her, smiling, "I just wanted to check up on you, and Ryou here has some things he'd like to discuss with you." 

"What?" I shot him a look but he ignored me. 

"If you need anything, I'll be in the waiting room. It's nice to see your bright face this morning, Ichigo-san. I'm glad you're safe." 

"Thanks, Akasaka-san..." 

I was leaning back against the wall with my arms behind my head when he gave my shoulder a nudge and exited the room. 

"This is sort of convenient, because I had something I needed to talk to you about as well," Ichigo stated from across the room. 

"Well, I'm glad you're okay... I guess... Oh! And Lettuce-" 

"Lettuce was praying for my recovery right?" she asked. 

"Yeah." My heart had suddenly leapt up into my throat. Did she know that _I_ was actually the one who had said all that last night? 

"Oh. I was just guessing, you see, I had another dream last night..." 

"And...?" 

"And someone told me that. In the dream. I guess it was Masaya because he was here just a while ago." 

"I see..." 

"See? I told you my dream meant something!" she added in a scolding manner, "And you didn't believe me!" She winced a bit as her flailing motions reminded her of her burns. 

"I didn't say it meant nothing. Besides, this had absolutely nothing to do with _that guy_," I pointed out smartly. 

Ichigo growled at me, "Whatever. You could atleast have a little sympathy for a sick person!" 

I cocked an eyebrow at her, "You're not really sick, but you will be if you let yourself get all worked up like that. You should be resting. Anyway, I'm not here to argue with you." 

"Well that's good," she said with a nod, "Could you stand over here? You're too far away for me to feel like I'm actually talking to you, and the nurses might overhear." 

Obediently, I closed the distance between us and stood near the top of her bed. 

"Anyway, I talked to Masaya about my dream, too, and about everything that's happened, and he won't let me fight. He says he doesn't want to see Mew Ichigo get hurt since the Blue Knight can no longer appear to save her," she explained. 

The truth was, I could see where the guy was coming from, being worried about his girlfriend and all. But, on the otherhand, without Ichigo, I was a sitting duck. 

"I guess he's worried about you," I deducted. 

Ichigo studied her hands, "Yeah, but... I just don't know anymore. I know I said I was going to fight and everything, I mean, I will still fight and all, but then-" 

"You look pale, you should get some more rest," I suggested for the second time, straying from the topic at hand. 

"But I..." she said louder, catching onto what I was doing. 

"I really don't know why you were at the cafe to begin with," I was talking to myself moreso than Ichigo. She was just a spectator. 

"I don't remember why I went there... I guess it was out of habit. Didn't you have something to talk to me about? Akasaka-san said you did." 

I shook my head, pulling back a curtain to let some sunlight into the room, "No. It can wait. It's not important." 

"It sounded like it was important from the way he said it..." she insisted, "It's about the mission isn't it? What do you want me to do? Did you come across some new information? Did something happen?" 

"I just want you to get better, so get some sleep," I muttered. 

Ichigo fumed, "All I've been doing all night is sleeping! Tell me what you were going to tell me, and just forget what I said." 

I shook my head, "Nah, but Keiichiro did find this guy..." 

"Masha!" the pink fluffball announced as it popped up between us. 

"Masha! You're okay! I was worried I had lost you for good yesterday." The little robot snuggled against her cheek as she pet it, making an airy chirping noise. 

"Geez, just tell me what's on your mind!" she insisted, "I'm not going to sleep until you do!" 

I shook my head and glared at her, "Boy, you sure are stubborn." 

"I have every reason to be. You're too secretive." 

"It was just about the mission like you said," I replied. 

The catgirl pouted, not buying it for a moment, "Come on! I already know you were going to say something about that. I refuse to believe that's all it was or else you would have told me in that boring leader tone of yours." 

I cut another glare in her direction which she returned. Heaving a sigh, I walked back towards her. Ichigo looked rather pleased that she had won. 

"Just get better, dummy. ...Oh yeah, there's something I've been meaning to give you for a long time now..." 

"Really? What is it?" she asked in a confused and somewhat curious voice. She straightened slightly, waiting for me to hand her something. R2000 floated off a little ways, watching. 

I bent my legs at the knees so I was at eyelevel with her. She merely blinked at me. Leaning in, I reached out an arm to tilt Ichigo's chin up gently, and allowed my lips to come to rest on hers. It was different when we were cats; that sensation was completely different and held little substance. Maybe somehow she'd understand; every feeling I had for her was in that kiss. But she was so dense sometimes that I doubted she'd ever figure that out or care. After a few seconds I broke away. Ichigo's eyes were wide and my display of affection had brought about a blush in her cheeks. 

"Sleep well. I have class," I said quietly, leaving the room for good this time as a speechless Ichigo stared after me, wondering what I had just done. 

I made my way quickly down the hall, dropping off at the cafeteria for some chocolate milk and a pair of blueberry muffins. Bad idea, because as soon as I stepped through the doorway I was confronted by an eager crowd. 

"So, Ryou, how'd it go?" Mint questioned, her eyes focused on my face to make sure I spoke only the truth. 

"How did Ichigo-san take it when you told her your feelings?" came Lettuce cautiously. 

"You didn't blow it did you?" Zakuro. 

Pudding watched silently. I was pretty sure she didn't know anything. If she did, well, I didn't want to be around. 

I fidgetted under the gaze of the former Mew Mews. Why were they so nosey? "I didn't really tell her..." 

"WHAT!" I was practically blown away by the mere volume of their disbelief. 

"Ohmigosh! Pudding gets it now, na no da! Shirogane onii-chan is in love with Ichigo onee-chan! Na no da! How romantic! ...WHAT? Why didn't you tell her na no da? Are you being shy na no da? Want me to tell her na no da? I'll be happy to!" Pudding leapt to her feet and started off. 

"NO!" we yelled in unison, moving to knock the monkey-girl to the ground, but she bounded away. 

"Na no da, I won't tell... but..." she stalked up to me, "I have a super cool love potion that's been in the family for generations, na no da! Spray some of this when you and Ichigo onee-chan are alone and she'll fall head-over-heels for you, na no da!" She offered me a bottle of some sort of sweet-smelling perfume that looked like soapy water with red food coloring. 

The very idea of Ichigo clinging blindly and fangirlishly to my arm wasn't very appealing. "No thanks... not unless you want to tell me every single ingredient in that potion." 

"But I can't do that na no da! It's a secret!" she protested loudly. 

"Then I won't be using it," I answered, "I'll do this my way. And if nothing changes, then nothing changes." 

"Aww, but then Shirogane onii-chan will be lonely, na no da..." Pudding whimpered, putting the liquid away. 

"Iie, don't worry about that, Ryou," Lettuce spoke up encouragingly, "We really shouldn't be prying into your life, but, you don't have to worry about being lonely, Ryou. We're your friends, right? We'll always be here for you." 

_My... friends?_ "Lettuce..." 

Zakuro slowly nodded in agreement, "Even though we may be seperated by many miles or years, we're still Tokyo Mew Mew, and we're a team." 

"I suppose so..." Mint admitted, brushing a few loose strands behind her ear. 

Pudding jumped into my arms, almost knocking me over, "Friends na no da!" She then hugged me tightly and I could barely breathe. 

"Minna..." I glanced around at the faces of these girls that I had come to know personally. They weren't merely employees or even alien-fighting superheroines. They were... my friends. People that were very dear to me. Keiichiro watched from a few yards away, smiling broadly at me. 

I set Pudding down, "...arigatou... minna..." 

"If there's anything we can do, please tell us..." Zakuro added. 

"I appreciate it, but there's really nothing you can do. This is more than anything my battle. Your prayers will be enough." 

Lettuce gave a smile and the others nodded in understanding. 

"If that's the case, Ryou, you'd better not fail," Zakuro cautioned me, resting a hand on my shoulder. 

"I won't." 

... 

A few days later and Ichigo was still confined to the hospital room. I hadn't visited since the other day, but I figured I'd better or else it'd seem like I was avoiding her on purpose. In the meantime, I had been staying with Keiichiro in his apartment. There were two seperate bedrooms so it worked out pretty conveniently. This way I could get up early without waking Keiichiro. Which meant I could take an extra long shower. And in return, he didn't have to put up with me mumbling in my sleep. I had spent that morning in front of the stove, pacing back and forth across the kitchen between fixing a sandwich for myself and checking on the timer. 

"Hey..." I announced a few hours later as I stepped into the still-too-plain and very familiar room. 

Ichigo glanced up at my entry, then looked away quickly, "Yeah, hi..." I saw then what she was doing. Examining her burns. 

"Does it hurt?" 

"Yeah, but the doctor says it's better that it hurts. He said it'd be worse if it didn't..." she explained carefully. 

"Uh-huh, third-degree burns don't hurt because they damage the nerves so you can't feel it. They also take longer to heal than first and second degree burns." 

"I know that," she muttered. 

"I brought you something edible that isn't hospital food..." I continued in monotone. 

"Masaya brought me lunch..." she explained, motioning to an empty bag that had been jammed down in the trashcan. 

"Nevermind then." Ofcourse. 

Thinking better of it, she added hastily, "Then again, that was a few hours ago and I'm hungry again! What is it?" 

I offered her the box with a smirk. She snatched it from me quickly. 

"Is it cake? Is it cookies? It's... onigiri..." her face fell, "You brought me riceballs?" 

"Yup," I said with another smirk. 

She glared up at me, "What a cheap meal!" 

"Yup," I repeated. 

She took one out carefully, "What did you put in it? I know Keiichiro didn't make this because he would have decorated it somehow." 

I sighed, "It's not poisoned or genetically enhanced. It's decent.I tried one myself to make sure, and if you don't want them, I'll take them back and leave." 

Ichigo shook her head, "No, anything's better than hospital food! Even your cooking!" With that she brought the riceball slowly to her mouth and tasted it. I watched boredly, waiting for my results. 

"Hey, this is actually pretty good..." she admitted, grabbing another. 

"I told you it was edible." 

"Yeah, but I had no idea it'd actually be any good," Ichigo explained with a smile. She turned mischievously to R2000, "Want one?" 

"Thanks for the deja vu," I grumbled. 

Ichigo laughed, "You don't have to leave in a hurry unless you want to, though." 

Blinking, I seated myself on the corner of the bed, "Okay..." 

Ichigo munched on another onigiri cheerfully. It was kind of cute watching her. 

"Do you know when you're coming home yet?" I questioned, trying to start the conversation back up. 

She paused momentarily as she gave a nod, "They said maybe as soon as Saturday." 

"That's great." 

"I wish I could leave now but I don't think I'd make it to the door without my legs giving out. But it's okay, I guess." 

"I'm sorry..." 

"Why?" she asked, "It isn't your fault." 

"Indirectly it is..." 

"No!" she shouted, startling me, "It isn't your fault that the Chimera exists, or that it survived, or that it attacked, or that I didn't get out of the cafe in time. If anything, it's my fault for being stupid." 

"You're not stupid," I corrected. 

"You're always saying I'm stupid!" she reminded me. 

"Yeah, but you're not..." 

"I think I am." 

"I don't," I insisted. 

Ichigo blinked at me before finishing the onigiri she had started, "If you say so. ... now I have a question." 

"What is it?" I asked. 

Ichigo tunneled back under the covers, motioned for R2000, and stroked him behind the ears, "Well I have to do this project for school. We have to go around and ask a bunch of people what they think of a word we chose from a list. Sort of like a huge dictionary entry, I guess. It's kind of silly, but we need 10 people that aren't in the class and I'm short by a few." 

"I'm only one person, Ichigo," I sighed. 

"I know that, Shirogane," she snapped, "But you're good with words and stuff, and I can't exactly walk around town asking random people." 

"Not particularly, but I guess I'll give it a shot. What's the word?" 

"The word is _love_." 

"Oh how cute..." I muttered. 

"It was the only one left that was familiar. All the others were these huge words I had never seen before," she defended. 

I sighed again, "Well..." 

Ichigo grabbed a pen and paper, "Yeah, go on." 

I groaned, rubbing the side of my head. Love was not one of those subjects that I liked talking about, but I still felt like I owed her, and I hated being in debt. 

"Talking about love in general, I think it's a form of blindness," I muttered. 

"What?" she shrieked, giving me a disgusted look, "What in the world, Shirogane!" 

"Let me explain before you deafen me." 

"Whatever, finish, I need this info..." she grumbled. 

I added thoughtfully, "Love's when, either purposely or accidentally, you allow yourself to overlook the shortcomings and faults in another. Sometimes, that other person is all you see, it blurs your vision. I guess it's kind of like a drug. On the otherhand, in a way, it's admirable that people can do that. That two people can stay together for a long time, even if they have differences and fight-" 

"Can you summarize this, please? You're going to ramble, I know it..." she whined. 

I sighed, chuckling a bit, "Love can blind people. In definition, it's when two people decide they'll stick it out together, no matter what. Or... when someone is devoted to another, whether those feelings are returned or not; selflessly." 

"Okay, that works I guess. Thanks." 

"Yeah sure." 

She glanced around the room nervosuly, "And thanks for the onigiri... I suppose..." 

"Mm-hmm." Rising, I stalked towards the door. 

I could feel her eyes watching my back, "Um, bye-bye..." 

I turned my head, blinking at her, "Yeah, bye. I'll see you Saturday." 

"Saturday?" she questioned. 

"You're full of energy already, I'm sure the doctor will let you go on Saturday. They can't have genki, energetic girls like you making a lot of noise and keeping the rest of the hospital awake," I teased. 

Ichigo stuck her tongue out at me stubbornly, "Yeah, right." 

... 

And so Saturday came. Indeed Ichigo was allowed to come home, and she had actually healed pretty miraculously. The doctors didn't know what to make of it, but I was fairly sure that it was the atleast partial fault of the Iriomote Wildcat DNA. It was late afternoon, and an absolutely gorgeous day considering that it was still winter and spring was a thing that the barren trees could only gossip about. I had positioned myself infront of the television and was watching the news boredly. Keiichiro cleaned up dishes in the kitchen. I had actually grown quite restless about the entire task ahead of me, and became even moreso as the familiar figure flashed across the screen. 

_"This is the monster that threatens Tokyo. So far, no deaths have been reported, but she has already caused damage to several pieces of property including the famous Mew Mew Cafe and the public library. Government officials say that-"_ the newslady droned on. 

I bolted up from my spot on the floor, "I'm going. I can't take this anymore." 

Keiichiro's eyes narrowed, "You can't complete this mission on your own, Ryou." 

"I know," I murmured. 

"Then what are you going to do?" 

I turned to him, frowning, "She's in the tower area. I'll go run some tests... maybe I overlooked something." With that I rushed for the staircase. 

"Ryou! I know what you're trying to do. You can't fool me. You're going to try to fight alone, aren't you?" Keiichiro hissed, "I can't let you do that!" 

"Quit trying to play the part of my father!" I snapped. Keiichiro jerked backwards as if he had been physically slapped, and I soon regretted my outburst. 

"I've put it off this long, I can't just stand by anymore..." 

"Atleast talk to Ichigo..." he advised quietly. 

"No!" 

"Then let me go with you." 

I huffed in annoyance, not responding, and instead went to fetch my things. Thus a few moments later, Keiichiro and I found ourselves at the base of Tokyo Tower. Ofcourse, _someone_ had called the girls as well, so our party had grown by six members, including Aoyama Masaya. 

"Is there anything we can do to help?" he asked Keiichiro solemnly. His famous smile was nowhere to be seen. Ichigo fidgetted beside him. 

"Thanks for your concern, Aoyama-kun, but Ryou and I will be able to handle the research from here," my guardian explained. 

"Yeah, I'm all done here," I announced, putting a few instruments back into a suitcase I had dragged along, "There haven't been any increases in temperature or humidity, smog, or any other environmental factors recently. "Her power obviously deals with fire, but so far, only the cafe and the library have been targetted. I won't know more until I test the conditions at the top of the tower." 

"And how are you going to get close enough to her to inject the solution?" Zakuro asked. 

_Good question_. "I'll figure something out." 

"I don't doubt that you will, but it'll be difficult to do alone," the model stated. 

"Are you sure we can't atleast cause a distraction, Ryou?" questioned Lettuce nervously. I could see that Ichigo was fidgetting even more. 

I shook my head quickly, "No. It'd be dangerous; you're _normal_ again after all." 

"Pudding wants to fight na no da. Shirogane onee-chan could really use a pudding ring right now no da." 

Our adversary had appeared on the horizon. It didn't take long before her shadow became a detailed image. I didn't remember her moving so fast. 

"This is it..." I muttered, my jaw tightening. In the time I had peeled my eyes away from the group, Ichigo and Masaya had wandered off a ways and were talking quietly. 

I could feel adrenaline building up inside me, getting ready for a very risky experiment. A few beads of sweat had collected on my brow. I may try to seem invincible, but the truth is... I'm not. 

"Please be careful," Lettuce said softly, touching my arm. 

I gave a small smile, "I'll try." She nodded silently. 

"Good luck, then I guess, Ryou," Mint spoke up. 

"Thanks..." 

"Same here," Zakuro agreed. 

"Good luck na no da!" Pudding exclaimed. 

"Ryou, please don't get yourself killed," that was Keiichiro. 

"I'll be fine," I stated in an assuring tone, although I wasn't at all sure. I had to be ready for the worst. I headed towards the elevator car with the suitcase in hand. It contained what I hoped would be everything that I needed. The little group clustered closer to elevator, but none of them tried to follow me. They probably knew I'd stop the car and kick them out if they did. Atleast this way everyone I cared about would be safe. 

Masaya had returned. He looked at me, his expression unreadable, "I hope that you are sucessful, Shirogane-san." 

"Thank you," I murmured with a nod. Ichigo still stood a ways off, silent and still as a statue. Her head was lowered and I couldn't see her face. 

_He's washing his face to start his day / He's lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely / Nothing in the mirror ever shows him what's within / Now he's checking out the faces on the back of the milk / He's sour under all this pressure He thinks the missing person looks an awful lot like him._

"Well then," I said quietly, feeling awkward, "I'll be off... and I'll see you guys later..." 

I paused, "And just so you know... in case something happens... I love you all... and... I mean that. You're important to me. It's almost like we're our own little family sometimes." 

I could see Mint's lower lip trembling slightly. Lettuce also looked moved. The monkey-girl's face was plastered with a humongous smile. 

"Thanks for everything." 

"Enough with the drama. Don't say it like you won't be coming back to us, Ryou," Zakuro half-growled. 

"Right..." 

_ And he starts his engine / But he knows he's missing gears._

I stepped back into the compartment and pressed down firmly on the botton that would take me all the way to the top of the monument without stopping. I tried not to look at my friends anymore. The doors sang a protest and slowly began to close. My field of vision grew smaller and smaller, and more verticle. 

"Wait!" Someone shouted. The doors were ripped apart, and clasped together again as the figure fell into me. 

_Incomplete / Where will you find yourself/ Incomplete / Where will you find yourself/ 'Cause you're the missing person now / Step outside your doubts and let yourself be found._

"What?" I shouted, flushing. "What are you doing?" 

The body was trembling. I couldn't tell if she was crying or laughing or preparing to attack me. The two red pigtails swung away from her face as she raised her head to glare up at me. She had been crying. 

"Ichigo?" What in the world was she thinking? I was about to shout out a protest, but the car had lurched to life and began rising into the air. 

"I hate you!" Ichigo screamed, beating on my chest with both fists, "I hate you! I hate you!" When I didn't fight back, she fell silent, balled fists resting against me as tears streamed down her face. 

"Ichigo, what do you think you're doing?" 

Hearing her name for a second time, the girl started shaking again in anger. I really couldn't understand what she was doing. It seemed like something had snapped. 

"I... hate... you..." her voice came out as a squeak as her arms drifted down and slowly wrapped around my waste, tightening until she pulled me close in what some people would consider a hug. 

Ichigo was still sniffling as my hands travelled around her shoulders and I held her back. 

"You remember what you said before? About love blinding people?" her voice quivered. 

"Yeah, I remember..." 

"I think my vision is starting to clear up, maybe a little." 

"Is that so?" I asked rhetorically. 

"I wasn't dreaming before... you're the one who stayed all night when I was in the hospital. And the shadow that was standing in front of me... it was you all this time." 

"You figured it out." 

"Yeah, but it took me a while, huh?" she admitted. 

The skyline outside the elevator windows was turning a bright crimson and the light of the sun seemed to dim and wither away. 

"Have you made your decision, Ichigo? It's not too late to change your mind. I can take us back down." 

Ichigo shook her head and looked me straight in the eyes, hers still glistening with tears, "I'm going to finish this with you. It's too late to change my mind now." 

"Okay..." 

Ichigo flicked my nose, making me let go, and smiled up at me, "Just like the first time, ne? But, before I forget, I wanted to tell you, that I never hated you... I'm sorry." 

I gave a slight smile before patting her head and answering, "It's okay. Let's finish this, Ichigo." 

_Notes: Song is by Switchfoot, called "Incomplete". Plumie found and I stole it. x.x _

A/N: Chapter Fourteen, "Believe". And we hit the climax. I can't believe it's almost over. Wah. Oh well, I can always write more fanfiction, ne? 


	14. Believe

_A/N: No comments here really, but I hope some of you will check out my next fanfiction when I get that up. It's called "Fruits Parfait" and combines elements from both Fruits Basket and Tokyo Mew Mew. And Kisshu is in it! D I'm also thinking of doing a songfic. That should be fun. Short and simple. _

I listened to some stuff. I think "Cherry Pie" by Jennifer Lopez helped me get back into the mood the best (fun stuff), but I was also listening to some other submitted music videos to my site, including "Gattomatto" and "Silenzioso Imbroglio". I have "Because You Live" stuck in my head by the way. -.- I also listened to Maroon 5 music and my beloved "Life is Like a Boat". I dunno why, but I adore that song. It's so Ryou-ish. Me weird, I know. x-x So I had to add some lines from that there at the end. On the note of songs, please consider entering TOKYO IDOL. It's much fun. 

Forgive me, I stink at writing battle scenes... I tried really hard though... and by the way, Ryou's ten in the flashback and Ichigo's eight. You'll notice I upped the rating a bit since there's a new rating scale. This was mainly because of the violence in this battle. It's not really too bad, but some children might not want to be reading it (I don't like violence myself, but a fight was kind of necessary here). No cursing. I don't think I really have anything suggestive either, but I just wanted to be on the safe side. X.x Enjoy and Happy Easter, nya. 

Chapter Fourteen - Believe

The elevator rose slowly up into the darkening atmosphere, allowing Tokyo to spread out below us like a map. 

"Are you scared?" Ichigo's question penetrated my thoughts. 

I blinked at her, trying to keep my nervousness from showing, "Not really. Are you?" 

"Yeah... I am..." she admitted slowly, examining my face to see if I was really as brave as I said. 

"...that doesn't mean I'm not a bit anxious," I conceded. She looked surprised, so I added quickly, "But don't worry. No matter what happens, I'll be your shield." 

Ichigo appeared thoughtful, but her expression saddened, "Shirogane..." 

"Hurry up and transform," I ordered sternly, "We're almost there." 

"Right... wait..." her eyes widened in panic, "But I don't have my pendant!" 

"WHAT? How could you not have it?" I shouted. 

"I don't know! You never gave it to me!" she snapped. 

"I never took it from you to begin with!" I snapped back. 

Ichigo's voice grew louder, "But I don't have it!" 

"Good thing I do," I growled, tossing it to her, "You almost forgot it." 

The catgirl's mouth dropped open as she caught the metal dog tag in her palm. Cutting her eyes up at me, she frowned her disapproval. She'd deal with me later. 

"Now do it!" 

"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorpho-sis!" she shouted, bringing the pendant to her lips. Five seconds later, ten seconds later, thirty... and nothing had changed. 

"Oh my god! Shirogane, why isn't it working? Is this a fake? Are you tricking me again?" she hissed through closed teeth. 

"No, it should be working..." I answered. This wasn't good. Maybe I had somehow been wrong? Maybe Ichigo didn't still possess the Iriomote Wildcat DNA after all. I fumbled around in my suitcase for the injection device. "Just forget it, as soon as we hit the top, head right back down, Ichigo." 

"No!" she argued, shaking her head vigorously. Her ponytails had come loose and a few whisps of hair floated freely around her face, "I'm not going." 

"Quit being hard-headed!" 

A sharp vibration ran down the length of Tokyo Tower, knocking the elevator car from its usual alignment. Ichigo screamed as we were tossed about and eventually lodged between two of the platforms. Ichigo grabbed the pendant she had dropped in the process and crawled out slowly, rubbing her head, "Owww!" Stumbling up to my feet beside her, I glanced around for our target. 

"Where is it?" I growled, turning to check another angle. 

There was a shattering of glass and the world turned into jelly. Whirling, I saw the Chimera shrouded in a wave of broken glass. The pieces showered down around us, glinting from the tower's artificial light like daggers. Her weight slammed into me, knocking me backwards and into the wall. 

"Shirogane!" Ichigo screamed. 

Above the pink-headed girl's cry came a deafening noise as the Chimera Anima tested her vocal cords, her eyes burning into me. She raised an arm and slashed down at me with her claws. Reflexively, I rolled out of the way. Fingertips hit metal, creating an awful nails-on-chalkboard-like sound. Gripping my ears in pain, I kicked out with my leg, landing a blow square in her stomach. With another foreign yell, she rammed into my side, almost knocking the breath out of me. 

Realizing I wasn't going to fight back so soon again, she turned her gaze on the strawberry. Ichigo was running towards us, but came to an abrupt halt as she noted that she still hadn't transformed... and that the Chimera was targetting her. 

"Ichigo, get out of here!" I yelled. _Too late!_

The nightmare creature spun quickly, whipping her tail at Ichigo and sending her rolling backwards across the floor. She didn't move. 

"ICHIGO!" 

Amber eyes slowly raised as the redhead revived and struggled to her feet. This action only caused another shrill declaration from the Chimera's throat as she sped towards the other end of the deck. There was no way that Ichigo could dodge that. I could see her mentally prepare for impact. She took a clumsy step backwards, shutting out the horrible vision which was about to strike. Accepting her fate. A fate which would not come... 

This would be the last time that Alto ever came to Mew Ichigo's rescue. I raced towards them on four stubby little cat legs, still without my bandanna, a silver missle. My ears told me exactly where she was going to hit, how far the distance was between them. Leaping, I placed myself between the devil and the girl who had come to mean so much to me. _Why? What exactly is it about you, Ichigo? Why do I even care...?_

SLAM! 

We collided. Somehow the impact had knocked both me and the monster to the side, travelling away from the un-henshined catgirl. My body ached. We sailed through the air towards the side of the tower. 

CRASH! 

The window behind me gave, glass crumbling to a dust. She flapped by above me as I tumbled backwards, but there was nothing to break my fall. Absolutely nothing in a long journey down to the ground. The Chimera looped above me like a vulture, as everything began playing in slow motion. Was this really the end? 

An incomplete life seemed to flash before my eyes as wind whistled by me. My cat reflexes kicked in, twisting my body like taffy so that I was now falling in an upright position. Even if I landed on my feet, there was no way I'd survive. _It's really... over..._

"MEW MEW STRAWBERRY, METAMORPHO-SIS!" There was a bright pink flash from the broken side of the observation platform. _'So she finally managed to transform...'_ were my thoughts as eyelids fell shut, awaiting impact. 

Two arms wrapped themselves around me clumsily and there was a sudden jolt. Opening my eyes, I found myself in Ichigo's arms. On the ground. 

"Are you okay? Shirogane?" she inquired nervously. She looked rather shaken herself. 

"Nyao nya... nyan nyao nya nyawr..." (I'm alive... let that be enough...) 

Aquamarine light bloomed around me as I returned to normal. The added weight made Ichigo lose her balance and she fell forward onto me. 

"You could have warned me first!" she growled, reddening as she backed away from me. 

"You're _still_ heavier than you look..." I announced lightly. 

"Whatever! Now what are we going to do?" came her question. 

Leaping to my feet, a hand plunged into my pocket to retrieve the device. 

"Now we fight." 

"Strawberry Bell!" Ichigo murmured, summoning her weapon. 

The air rippled as she came back for us, intent on our demise. 

"Ichigo, keep her busy! If you can weaken her enough, or atleast get her distracted, I can get close enough for the injection," I explained. 

Ichigo grumbled, "What am I? Bait? Geez..." Even so, she jumped into action. 

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" she cried, aiming the heart-shaped weapon at the Chimera. Rearing, the Chimera took a swing at her. Quickly, Ichigo leapt to avoid it, delivering a kick to the monster's head. It snapped backwards from the impact, but that wouldn't be enough to stall her. 

The Chimera growled, thrashing out. Ichigo fell backwards, flipping back onto her feet. "Nya!" She dashed forward again, scratching at the monster with her claws, but not managing to do much with that technique. 

"Ichigo! Her scales are resistant to minor attacks like that, stick to the bell!" 

"Don't tell me how to fight! RIBBON STRAWBERRY CHECK!" Pink light shot towards the monster again causing her to scream out in pain. 

_Now!_

I sprinted forward, prepared to plant the injection device in the creature's side. Dark wings beat against me before I could reach her, knocking me silly. The device clattered to the ground. 

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" Mew Ichigo yelled again. The bell on her tail tinkled harshly, bringing me back from my trance. 

"Get up, Shirogane!" 

"Don't tell me how to fight!" I echoed. She grinned slightly then focused again on the Chimera. She wasn't too amused that we were ganging up on her. Dragging her dragon-like tail across the ground, she set it afire. The flames licked at the sky, crackling dangerously. This must have been how it happened... back home in New York... 

I cursed mentally. How was I supposed to get close to her now? 

Ichigo and the Chimera continued fighting. I stood there waiting for a chance to complete my mission. My mind had begun to wander. 

_This is really it... the end is right here in front of me if I can grasp it... and yet... I'm not happy about it. What would Mama and Papa think of me?_

_"Ryou, I'm so proud of you... we both are... but you seem upset. What's wrong?"_

_"Why have you locked part of yourself away, Ryou? Why are you hiding the best part of yourself from others?"_

_"Are you so afraid of what others will think? Just be yourself. I'm sure once they get to know you, Ryou, they'll see what a wonderful person you are. Really."_

"Mama... you're just saying that because I'm your kid..." 

_"Why are you being so hard on yourself, son?"_

"I'm not, Papa... I'm not..." 

_"No one's going to laugh at you for loving them."_

... 

"Hmm? Is that you, Aruto? Didn't think I'd see you again after the other day," I commented, sitting down on the ground near the smokey-colored kitten. 

"Nyao." 

"So I've convinced you that I'm a friend, huh?" I asked, petting his head lightly with my fingertips. 

The kitten began purring softly, but that noise was soon broken by a girl's voice. 

"Daddy! Mom! Why do I have to move to a new neighborhood? I don't know anyone here!" the voice protested. The person it belonged to slowly came into view, her hair up in high pigtails that bounced up and down as she walked behind her parents, carrying a small box with some of her things in it. 

"Now, now!" her mother announced in a sing-song voice, "I've told you we have to move because of your father's job. You'll meet lots of new friends in no time!" 

"Yeah, so quit complainin' and stuff. You're a cheerful girl," the father scolded. 

"Well maybe it seems easy for you, but it's not so easy!" the daughter shot back, face reddening, "It's a good thing Moe and Miwa live close or I wouldn't have any friends anymore!" 

"Ichigo..." her mother tried to console. 

I watched silently as they disappeared into the house. That whole argument sounded familiar, like the one I had had with Keiichiro. 

"I'd better go Aruto, it's getting dark..." I appologized, shuffling off towards the apartment. My loss was still fresh in my mind and planning the base was one of my top priorities. Not the cafe, no, the basement. What would a ten-year-old boy care about a stupid pink cafe? 

I was walking home by way of the park. The setting sun was reflecting yellow and orange through the shadowed tree branches. I don't know what it was about one tree in particular. It was no bigger or fuller than the others, but I paused briefly to observe it. It was then that I realized the movement at its base that had attracted my interest. Maybe someone was in trouble...? 

I walked cautiously across the uneven ground. As I neared, I found that the person was crying. A very small person that couldn't be any older than myself. 

"Ne... are you okay?" came my voice shakily. 

The head of the girl who had been whining to her parents shot up in surprise. The sun glinted off her tear-stained face, and she wiped them away quickly, sniffing. 

"If you're lost, I can take you back home. I saw you with your parents before and it isn't far..." I continued. 

"Just leave me alone!" she sniffled. 

"How can I leave you alone when you look so pathetic crying under this tree?" 

"Pa-what?" she hissed, "You're mean! Go pick on someone else, you bully." 

"I'm not trying to be mean..." I defended. 

The girl sniffled again, hugging her knees closer to her and resting her chin on them. 

I stood there awkwardly. It was rude, yes, but it'd also be rude to leave, too. Finally, I sat down in the grass a little ways away from her, "You want to talk about it?" 

"You wouldn't understand!" 

"Why wouldn't I understand? Atleast you have friends. I only have one, and he's the person taking care of me." 

Her eyes widened slightly as she raised her head to look at me again, "What?" 

"That's right. I moved here from New York." 

"New York? That's in American right? My teacher last year was from Cowlifornia..." 

Apparently she was a little younger than I was, seeing as how she mispronounced some things. Then again, she was probably from Japan and the states' names would sound weird to her. 

"Yeah, it's in America." 

"I hear it's pretty..." she added slowly. 

"I guess it is," I admitted. 

She smiled softly and extended a hand without warning, "Well then whoever-you-are, I'll be your friend since you aren't a meanie. I'm Ichigo!" 

I jerked back slightly, "Um... okay. You can call me Ryou." I took the offered hand and gave it a light shake. 

"So, what sort of stuffs do you like, Ryou?" she asked in a much more cheerful voice. 

"I dunno. I like watching the stars and making things..." 

"That sounds fun," she giggled, "I like making things too. My mom's teaching me how to knit. I also like the color pink, and dressing up, and bunnies, but I like cats better!" 

"I like cats too..." I admitted. 

"Really?" she grinned, "I always wanted a cat, but Daddy's allergic! It's really not fair." 

"I used to have a dog... but I never had a cat." 

"Maybe one day we can both get cats together!" she suggested excitedly. 

I blinked at her. Such a simple, yet cheerful and kind-hearted girl. "Sure, maybe." 

"Shall I take you home now, Ichigo?" I asked, climbing to my feet and brushing the dirt off my shorts. 

She hopped up, grinning happily at me, "Okay! Let's go." 

By whatever coincidence, I had never bumped into her again. We lived in the same city, yet we had only crossed paths once. I had revisted the tree, though I had never ventured back to her house. That, and I was busy with the Mew Project. Maybe I would have tried had it not been for that... 

... 

The flames crackled wildly infront of me, reminding me that I had a job to do. 

Ichigo and the Chimera Anima were still going at it. Both looked a bit battered, but so far no one had gained the upper hand. The fire hadn't continued to spread, but it was still roaring with life around the three of us. 

The Chimera lashed out with her tail and knocked the Mew Mew off her feet. She landed awkwardly on the ground, using her Strawberry Bell to block the next attack. The monster knocked it from her grip. The cat struck at her with both feet, forcing the winged beast back into a wall, while she found her footing again. R2000 hovered a ways off, recording the battle. 

The Chimera recovered, stretching those dark wings of hers and shot once again for Ichigo. Dodging quickly, the catgirl leapt for her weapon, grabbed it, and turned. However, a clip with the wings and Ichigo again fell backwards, landing on her back. 

"Ouch..." she complained. Spinning, the Chimera landed infront of Ichigo and smacked her hard. I could see her wince from the blow and sink back onto the ground. It was then that I realized Ichigo wouldn't be able to win. She was growing tired; the Chimera hadn't weakened at all. And I could do nothing. I had no special powers, save Alto. I couldn't help fight. I couldn't even throw a Strawberry Check... I was basically useless... all I had was the device... and I was standing by watching Ichigo take all the hits for me. That's what it was really. 

"Why do I always stand by and watch others fight my own battles? It's just like in grade school..." I muttered to myself. It had begun to rain, drowning out the destructive flames around us. "Why?" 

Ichigo let out a yelp as the Chimera pinned her to the ground with her weight, preventing her from moving. Ichigo tried to wriggle away anyhow. I could feel my jaw trembling. It was an awful scene to watch, one that I couldn't watch. It made me mad. So mad... at myself... at the Chimera... but mostly, at myself. A hissing noise came through the monster's teeth, causing Ichigo to pale nervously. Fear. 

"No... you won't..." I growled. 

The Chimera Anima ignored me, scratching at Ichigo again, and I heard her scream from the pain. 

My shoulders shook in anger. _No._ I wouldn't let this happen! 

"I won't let you hurt the person most precious to me!" I shouted. I grabbed a piece of sharp glass off the ground and chucked it at that hideous face. I had cut my own fingers in the process, but I didn't care. The glass struck its target which was one of the Chimera's eyes. It began to ooze a whitish liquid, and squinted shut. She raged, grasping at her eye to try to figure out why it was burning. It had served its purpose, atleast, because in her rage, the Chimera had risen into the air again, and enough off of Ichigo so that she could scamper out of the way. 

My fingers wrapped tightly around the injection device as she wheeled in the air and came back towards me. I was the one who had done this to her, and she knew it. As she neared, I didn't see myself, but Ichigo, reflected in her one good eye. _WHAT?_ She quickly changed direction. She'd destroy everyone else before she got to me. To make me suffer even more. 

_Not this time._ With a swift motion I leapt in front of Ichigo. 

_I've been going far away / And I seem to have become invisible / My feelings head towards darkness, but / it is only a mask._

"Take this!" I yelled. Claws struck roughly at me. Her breath stunk of decaying matter, and her voice set my ears on fire. I swung my arm and the injection device with as much force as I could muster. There was another ear-shattering scream as the Chimera reeled backwards, the needle deeply embedded into the center of her chest. Drops of blood splattered to the ground, but they weren't from her. It was my blood. I felt my legs getting weak, threatening to drop me. My mind fogged up and I stumbled. 

_I want you to know who I really am / I never thought I'd feel this way toward you / And if you ever need someone to come along / I will follow you and keep you strong._

Ichigo must have just realized what happened, as I heard her shaky voice faintly behind me, "Shirogane?" 

I turned to look at her. Her face was a ghostly shade of white. 

_And every time I see your face / The oceans lead out to my heart / You make me wanna strain at the oars / And soon I can't see the shore... _

Oh, I can't see the shore... / When will I see the shore..? 

"I'm sorry, Ichigo... I... love you." My vision was cut off and I felt myself let go. I was falling. Falling into darkness. The last thing I remember was Ichigo's voice. She was screaming my name. Then the darkness consumed me. 

_Notes: Lyrics from __Life is Like a Boat_, the first BLEACH ending. It's a really pretty song. 

A/N: Chapter 15, "Fairytale" is almost done, but I have to wait a while before I put it up. Gotta leave ya hangin', ya know? Don't hurt me... Anyways, I hope you liked it? The next chapter differs slightly, as it's told from Ichigo's point of view, because Ryou obviously can't tell the story at this point. 


	15. Fairytale

_A/N: Just a heads up about this chapter. It's from Ichigo's point of view, not Ryou's. Hopefully I got the style a little different so that it sounds like her rather than him. Probably not. This is the most important (and most insanely long) chapter, and since Ryou really can't explain much in this chapter, yeah... I appologize for making Ichigo out to be a Mary-Sue... ..; But to aid the story, she's the only one who can still transform and therefore the only one who can fight... And sorry for upsetting some people. I knew that was gonna happen. Kinda planned it... You get to re-read that last scene by the way, which is a little different. But seriously, this is my story and if I want someone to die, I can make them die. That's no reason to call me evil! I'm not evil dangit! How many times have people killed off poor Masaya in a fanfiction? Hmm? ...I thought people would know me a little better, though. _

As a totally off-topic note, my friend burned me Full Moon wo Sagashite and I lurve it! It's such a cute show, though sad. My favorite is Takuto, go figure. "New Future" is currently stuck in my head. 

Blackberry: Yeah, I think I had heard of it from somewhere before. It's pretty common in anime, really. 

Chapter Fifteen - Fairytale

I looked on in horror as Ryou's body crumpled to the ground. He didn't move. Above me the Chimera Anima let out a loud shriek and tried to claw the needle from her breast without any success. That didn't seem important right then. Not that or the rain or how my body hurt to move. What was important... _Oh my god! Shirogane!_

"SHIROGANE!" I ran towards him. I felt like I was suffocating and would pass out any minute. My legs were jelly and my feet didn't seem to exist. I collapsed onto my knees beside him. Luckily he was still breathing. 

"Shirogane..." I squeaked. 

He tilted his head up. Those aquamarine eyes that had become so familiar to me seemed to bore down into my body and pierce a place in my heart. _Don't feel sorry for me. I don't want any pity._ How was it possible not to when those eyes were staring up at you like that, silently echoing the words he had said twice now? _I won't let you hurt the person most precious to me! I'm sorry, Ichigo... I... love you._

"Shirogane, don't die," I whimpered. 

"Ichigo..." 

"You jerk! You can't say that, block me, and then just die!" I shouted at him. 

His eyes fell shut as he whispered, "I'm sorry..." 

"YOU CAN'T, SHIROGANE, YOU CAN'T BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" 

He made no response. 

"Nooo!" I yelled, shaking him, "Shirogane! SHIROGANE!" 

With an ear-shattering noise, the Chimera swooped down from above me. I screamed, ducking, as claws raked across my back. It felt like my body was burning. It hurt so much. I could feel the crimson liquid running down my back in five parallel lines. I stumbled back up to my feet, facing her angrily. 

"I'm doing this for you... Shirogane... so you won't be haunted by your past anymore. I'm not so sure I'll be able to keep my promise to you either, but I'll try," I struck my pose, eyes narrowed, "For the future of the Earth, I, Mew Ichigo, will be of service, nyan!" 

I leapt into the air, hoping my emotions would guide me, "Strawberry Bell!" There was a flash of light in front of me as the pink, heart-shaped weapon reappeared. 

She showed her teeth, hitting at me again. 

"Kyaaa!" I was knocked backwards and onto the ground, landing in a crouching position. 

She took a nosedive at me. I leapt quickly out of the way. My cat reflexes were starting to pick up again, and the ears on either side of my head were alert to every sound and movement. 

Leaping up again, I called out my attack, "Ribbon Strawberry Check!" I took aim. A beam of pink light struck her side. Turning, she came back at me, enraged. I jumped higher, feeling her black wings strike against my legs as she passed beneath me. Why wasn't she weakening? Didn't Ryou manage to inject her? I had seen him do it... so why hadn't it taken effect yet? Or had it already worn off? 

"Ichigo-san! Ichigo, can you hear me?" I knew that voice. That was Keiichiro's voice! But where? Turning, I saw Masha floating nearby. 

"Akasaka-san!" I called, trying to listen and keep myself from being turned into monster food at the same time. 

"Ichigo-san! Listen, the other girls may not be Mew Mews anymore, but our thoughts are on you. And, we've found a way to transfer some of the Red Data Animals' power to you," he explained through the speaker in Masha. 

"Really? How? Tell me!" I had to block a punch with my bell. 

"You recall how Masha was able to become the Mew Aqua rod for the other girls? The same thing should be able to happen if we transfer the leftover power from inside the girls' pendants to you through Masha. The weapons only channelled power, but the pendants work in a different way. Masha should be able to change into another instrument." 

"Really? Okay! What do I have to do?" I asked. 

My enemy was getting impatient and her attacks were getting wilder and harder to block. 

"Masha will start glowing, just listen to the words that come to you, Ichigo. I know in her weakened state, you can defeat her!" 

"But she hasn't weakened any!" I protested. 

"What? Didn't Ryou...? Ichigo-san, where's Ryou? He's not coming in on the radar!" 

I bit my lip, "H-he's... he's not... not awake at the moment..." 

Keiichiro was silent for what seemed like forever. I didn't have the heart to tell him that his friend was very likely dead... _Dead..._

"Ichigo-san, you have to stay focused. Can you do that?" 

"I... think so..." 

"Go for it, Ichigo onee-chan!" Pudding shouted. 

"You can do it, Ichigo!" that one was Lettuce. 

"Good luck," was all that Zakuro-san said. 

"Don't mess this up, Ichigo," darn that Mint... 

"We believe in you." 

"Masaya... guys..." How could they have such faith in me, when I had so little? "Alright, here I go!" 

Masha fluttered over to me and rested in my palms. The Chimera Anima was in the air again, preparing a far more powerful attack. 

_It isnt a crime to want / A little space to breathe / But you will be fine / The sun again will shine on you / Whatever you do... _

Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here when you change your mind / Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here for you baby / Anytime... 

Masha began glowing faintly, a soft, warm, many-hued light that at once made me feel relaxed. 

"Strawberry Wand." 

Masha became heavier in my hand, glowing more intensely and lengthening into a long cream staff. At its tip was a heart shaped design, with a bell positioned in its center, from the base of the heart flowed pastel pink streamers. The handle had an intricate pattern of hearts and stars carved into it. I could do this... I had to do this... 

The Chimera streaked towards me like a bullet, plummeting, full-speed. Her claws extended, arms positioned forward. She was coming in for the kill. My knuckles were going white because I was holding the weapon so tightly. As she came closer and closer, everything started to slow down. Was my mind stalling? No. It was the monster herself that was losing momentum. It worked! No time to waste! 

"Ribbon Heart's Melody!" I called out, raising the staff in the air. From the tip, the bell sounded lightly, summoning a rainbow wave of energy. It washed over the area, bathing everything in a soothing light. That light drowned the Chimera Anima. Before my eyes, her frightening form began to disintigrate, turning to ash, and then fading completely. Shrinking, the wand poofed back into Masha. He fluttered down to my shoulder. 

"We did it, we did it!" he cheered. 

I tried to smile. I could hear my friends cheering and the congratulations from Keiichiro and Masaya. 

"Masha!" I hissed, "We need to get Shirogane to the hospital!" 

"The hospital? Ichigo, is Ryou okay?" 

"I-I'm not sure, Lettuce..." I whispered. 

"We're where Main- and First Street cross, at the fountain..." Lettuce's voice came softly over the speaker. 

Keiichiro sighed worriedly, "We'll be awaiting you there." 

"Uh-huh..." 

Grunting, I lifted Ryou's heavy body out of the dirt and across my shoulders and began the trek back towards where Akasaka-san and the others were waiting for us. 

I thought back to the conversation I had just had with Masaya a few moments ago... 

... 

"Masaya, there's something I have to talk with you about..." I started. 

The dark-haired boy turned to me, smiling gently, "Ichigo, is something the matter?" 

"Well, no, not exactly... but I need to talk to you about-" I fumbled for the words. 

Masaya blinked at me, his smile fading a bit as he spoke, "It's about Shirogane-san, isn't it?" 

I felt my face reddening in embarassment and my eyes fell, "Yeah..." 

"Does he make you happy?" 

"Actually..." I walked over to stand beside him, "Everytime I'm around him, I usually end up walking away miserable." 

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't understanding at all. 

"It's like all we do is argue." 

"I see..." 

I rubbed the back of my head nervously, "It's just that sometimes, it's like he-" 

"The guy thinks a lot of you," Masaya interrupted calmly. 

"Huh?" 

"I mean it. I can tell..." he insisted, looking off in another direction. 

"Do you think so?" 

"Yeah. Was there something else you were going to say? You can tell me." 

I hesitated, "Well, I wanted to thank you... for being there for me..." 

Masaya placed hand on my shoulder, "Likewise, you saved my life, Ichigo." 

I looked up at him. I could feel the hot tears well up in my eyes, "I'd do it again. But, Masaya, right now, you don't need saving. It's been wonderful spending these last few years with you. You took care of me, and you loved me, and you gave this stray kitten a home." 

He took his hand away slowly and watched my face, "Ofcourse, Ichigo... you know that I love you." 

"I know that. I love you too, but, there's someone else who also said that they love me. It's stupid really, but I got to thinking that maybe I wasn't a stray afterall. Maybe I had a home all along without realizing it... I thought 'Suppose this other person is telling the truth, and suppose he loves you just as much as Masaya or more. Suppose he really does care about you but doesn't know how to show you that. Suppose you're with the wrong guy-'." My voice choked up and I could feel Masaya wrap his arms around me, stroking my hair. 

"It's okay, Ichigo. If you want to go, I won't hold you here against your will." 

I sobbed into his shirt, "I don't know! That jerk makes me so confused!" 

"Listen, Ichigo..." Masaya continued gently, looking me in the eyes, "You should go speak with him. If you really do have feelings for him, you should stay with him. If not, I'll be waiting for you." 

I sniffled, "Suppose I don't come back to you?" 

"It's okay. You've given me so much already, Ichigo. Just promise me that we'll still be friends?" 

I nodded quickly, pulling him into a tighter hug. 

"Your happiness is what's important to me, even if you end up finding it somewhere else." 

I smiled up at him, tears still streaming down my face, "Okay. Arigatou." 

... 

_I'm feeling you pull away / 'cause letting go isnt easy for me / But you'll never fly / With someone elses wings, I know / Wherever you go... _

Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here when you change your mind / Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here for you baby / Anytime... 

When we reached the fountain, an ambulance was waiting with its red lights flashing. I watched as the doctors carefully laid Ryou's body on a stretcher and hoisted it up into the vehicle. As they sped off, all I could do was stare after them and pray. 

"Everything will turn out okay in the end, Ichigo. Don't worry," Masaya comforted, placing a hand on my shoulder. 

"I told him too late..." 

"I don't think so," he said softly. 

"Chin up, Ichigo onee-chan! Shirogane onii-chan is one tough cookie na no da!" Pudding announced, trying to cheer me. 

Lettuce added, "We can go visit him later, okay?" 

"Okay..." 

"Ryou's too stubborn to just die on us like that," Mint pointed out. 

"I..." It was no use. I fell into Masaya's arms and cried. 

... 

Keiichiro drove us to the hospital. I'll never figure out how we all managed to pile into his red sports car, but I will say this... Keiichiro may be the perfect gentleman, but when he drives, he's scary! I bet even Masha could drive better. 

I really didn't want to go back to that hospital after spending so much time staring at its walls myself. Apparently Ryou had suffered pretty major wounds and he'd lost a lot of blood. That's what the doctors were telling us. They told us they'd let us know if his condition changed for the worst. And that's all they would say. 

I had school the next day, not that I benefited at all from it. I was way too distracted. My teachers complained several times when they saw that I was spacing, and every time a cellphone went off, I'd quickly fumble around for mine, only to figure out that the melody wasn't familar, and that the phone call had been for someone else. 

After classes had ended, I ran off to the hospital again. I finally convinced one of the nurses to let me in when I explained that I was Ryou's "little sister". When I made my way to the door, however, I found that he already had a visitor. Keiichiro. Ryou was awake it seemed, but his voice was a soft whisper, like it took just about everything he had to carry on a conversation. 

"I told you not to do anything reckless," Keiichiro scolded the younger boy. 

There was a shifting of covers and Ryou's voice. I had to strain my ears to make it out from the doorway. "I know. I was just doing what my head was telling me to do." 

"Are you sure it was your head telling you to?" 

"...my heart then." 

Keiichiro sighed, "It's a wonder you survived. First Ichigo-san, now you... you're going to make my hair turn gray." 

"Sorry about that. How is Ichigo, anyway?" 

"She's fine. She has a few bruises, but her Mew Mew powers healed most of the other injuries." 

"That's good..." 

"They say you might be here for atleast another month..." 

"No. I want to go home." 

"Ryou! We'd never get you into my apartment, and the new cafe isn't finished yet." 

"I'm not staying in this blasted hospital room, Keiichiro!" He started coughing then. 

"See? You should take it easy! This is exactly why you need to be here..." Keiichiro murmured in a concerned tone. 

"...maybe. It hurts." 

I couldn't help but smile slightly. Even in such a condition, Ryou was trying to put on a brave face. It was true, wasn't it? But at that moment, I was also thinking of something else. He opened up to Lettuce and Keiichiro, but not really to me. I was the one he chose to boss around. I guess I was a little jealous. 

"Ichigo?" it was Masaya. 

"He's..." I started. 

Masaya peered around the corner and into the room, "Busy talking to Akasaka-san, hmm? Want to chat, Ichigo?" 

I gave a small smile and nodded, "Yeah. I'd like that." 

Masaya led me back down the hallway, pausing at a vending machine to get a soda for each of us. 

"I still haven't been able to talk to Shirogane..." I confessed. 

Masaya popped the top of his soda, my own can was cold to the touch and made my fingertips numb. After taking a sip, Masaya responded with, "It'll be alright. Just give it a little time." 

"Yeah, but it's like every other second I'm questioning my own feelings..." 

Masaya laughed lightly, "That's why you should take your time. That way you can truthfully tell Shirogane-san how you feel." 

"You're right, ofcourse..." I sighed, talking a sip of my own soda. It fizzed and tickled the inside of my mouth, "I also wonder what'll happen to me. My powers haven't gone away yet." 

"I don't know much about that," Masaya admitted, "But since your friends returned to normal, you probably will as well. That should happen pretty soon since you aren't needed to fight again, hmm?" 

I shook my head, not convinced. "Yeah, but there was a three year gap and everyone else..." 

"But when you think about it, Shirogane-san still needed your help. If you had already lost your powers, he wouldn't be with us right now," explained Masaya. 

"I guess you have a point, but why me?" I wondered. 

"Didn't you say Shirogane-san is also a cat? Maybe that's why. Maybe your powers couldn't disappear until you both no longer needed them." 

I sighed loudly, "Yeah, but Shirogane is gonna always be a cat. If that's the case, I'll be stuck too." 

Masaya laughed again in a good-natured way, "I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure Akasaka-san and Shirogane-san have a way to get you back to normal if it doesn't happen naturally." He petted my head. 

I heaved another sigh, whining, "I hope so... Thanks Masaya..." 

He grinned down at me, "No problem." 

"So, how's the Shirogane report?" Mint demanded, turning the corner and interrupting the peace. 

"M-mint!" I yelled. Didn't I still have a bone to pick with her about something? I couldn't remember what... 

Stomping up to her, I gave her a sharp glare which she returned smugly. "I swear one of these days, I'll-" I threatened, waving a fist at her. 

"You'll what?" she asked. 

"Argh!" I didn't know. 

"So, how is he?" she asked me, placing her hands on her hips. 

"How should I know? I haven't talked to him," I grumbled, crossing my arms. 

"Oh, how mean! After everything he's done for you and all that..." she added smartly. 

"Shut up, Mint..." I growled, twitching. 

"Good afternoon, Aoyama-kun," Mint greeted, "I still can't see how you manage to put up with her." 

Masaya laughed nervously, knowing he'd better watch what he said, "Ichigo's just worried, that's all." 

_Oh great..._

"Worried?" Mint asked, raising an eyebrow, "Whatever about?" 

"It's none of your business, Mint, so go get your afternoon tea before you act more like a snob than you normally do!" I hissed. 

Mint looked taken aback, she stared at me in a shocked way, "Geez, Ichigo. You sure are in a good mood. I didn't come here to make your ruin your day. I actually wanted to know how Ryou is doing." 

I huffed, "I still don't know." 

"She hasn't talked to Shirogane-san yet. Akasaka-san's visiting with him now," Masaya explained. 

"So that's how it is." 

"I wonder what will happen now that everything's over..." Lettuce commented shyly. She had just joined us a moment ago and was also still in her school uniform. 

"I'll admit I was worried at first, but even so..." Zakuro started. Pudding was with her. It seemed like our little group was magnetized. "...I don't want to break my connections with the rest of you. I was worried that the press might start to figure things out." 

"Zakuro-san..." I whispered. She might seem cold and distant on the outside, but I knew inside Zakuro was one of the nicest people around. 

"It doesn't matter, Zakuro-san. No matter what happens, I'll never regret any of this," Lettuce voiced out, smiling, "If I had never met you guys, who knows where I'd be now. Probably still cowering in the far corner of Kouyama-san's classroom." 

"I agree, na no da! Friends are the best, na no da!" Pudding yelled, happily glomping each of us. 

I giggled as I watched her, "You know, you're right... in the end... I'm glad we could go through all of this together. Let's promise to always keep in touch. No matter what." A chorus of agreement sounded around me as we all drifted forward into a group hug. "IT'S A PROMISE!" 

... 

A few days later Keiichiro had sold his apartment and moved into a bigger complex closer to the cafe site. Apparently Ryou had insisted on getting out of that hospital no matter what, even if it meant he had to be driven to the new location in an ambulance. I still hadn't visited with him. I was taking Masaya's advice. My visit with Ryou would be postponed until I was certain of what I was going to say to him when I got there. It was taking longer than I had expected, on top of that. 

It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon. Spring was blooming all around me and cherry petals carpeted the ground to create a cushion for people to walk on. Examining a slit of paper which had the apartment number printed neatly on it, I crossed the busy Tokyo streets and made my way towards their new residence. 

I rang the bell and waited impatiently for someone to answer. Keiichiro answered the door with a cheerful expression, "Ichigo-san, so nice to see you." 

"Ne, Akasaka-san? Is it alright if we talk? I'm not bothering you am I?" 

"Ofcourse not. We're glad to have you." He swung the door open for me and I stepped nervously inside, "What is it that you'd like to talk about?" 

"Well..." I let myself in and sat when he motioned to a chair, "It's about... Shirogane..." 

"Ryou?" he questioned as he took a seat opposite me, "He'll be up, about, and good as new in a few days. No need to worry." 

I shook my head quickly, "Um, no, that's not what I was going to ask you..." 

He waited for me to continue. 

"Um... does Shirogane, you know, ever say anything about me?" 

Now he looked very surprised, "Why, ofcourse, he's always talking about you and the other girls." 

"Well, I know that, but I mean, well, what does he say?" I fidgetted. 

Keiichiro looked at me questioningly, then smiled, "Maybe that's something you should ask Ryou and not me..." He sweatdropped. 

"Akasaka-san... please... Does Ryou really have feelings for me? He said... during the fight he said that he loved me... right before he blacked out, and when..." 

Keiichiro placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling slightly, "Ichigo-san, as I said, perhaps that's something you should ask him when he's feeling better." 

I blinked up at him. This wasn't working. "You aren't going to answer, are you?" 

"Well, what do you think?" 

"I think you won't say anything because Shirogane told you not to." 

He laughed slightly, "No, I mean, about Ryou." 

"Oh..." I clunked myself on the head with my fist and pondered over it for a while, "He didn't _sound_ like he was lying..." 

"Hrm..." Keiichiro took a sip of his coffee, "And do you trust him, Ichigo-san?" 

I stared. _Trust? Do I **trust** him?_ I had never really thought about that. Ryou was always teasing and confusing me with his words, but when it all boiled down to it... 

"I... I think so..." I replied cautiously. 

"You think?" 

"I think I do. Trust him..." I murmured. 

"Well, I will say this Ichigo-san. Ryou doesn't lie about important matters or matters of the heart. Ryou hardly ever reveals his feelings about anything. Instead, he's the type who keeps both his love and his sorrow bottled up inside. It's a rare occasion to see him unstop that bottle. I wouldn't say he ignores such feelings, rather, I'd say he's more sensitive to them than most. It's just something that Ryou would rather not share with others. Does that help?" 

I nodded silently, "Then he did mean it... I just... I guess I just didn't know what to think or how to react." 

"And what are you going to do about it now, Ichigo-san?" 

I gazed up at Keiichiro. He watched me with interest, hiding his own judgments and opinions behind a fatherly sort of smile. 

I grinned back at him, "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! His room is upstairs, right?" 

With that I raced from the room. I could hear the first syllable of a protest from Keiichiro, but it was muted as I turned a corner and thundered up the steps. When I reached the top, I caught my breath and made my way down the hall on tiptoe, realizing I had no idea which room belonged to Ryou. 

_I will never stand in your way / Wherever your heart may lead you / I will love you the same / And I will be your comfort every day / Do you hear the words I say? _

Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here when you change your mind / Take your sweet, sweet time / I will be here for you baby / Anytime... 

Turning the last doorknob I came to, I walked cautiously into a sun-filled room. Bingo! I couldn't help but think this was a reversed version of _Sleeping Beauty_. The blond was resting soundly in his bed. Ryou actually looked rather adorable when he was asleep. It was hard to think that this was the same guy who picked on me most of the time. I tilted my head as I watched him. _'Is this really the way you want to go, Ichigo? Suppose he's even meaner to you if he finds out you have feelings for him? That **would** be just another thing he could tease you about... but then...'_ I remembered what he said. Why did it surprise me so much? Hadn't I known all along that Ryou had some sort of affection for me? But before now... I hadn't really paid any attention... I guess the part that surprised me, was that he had actually humbled himself long enough to say it. _Ichigo, I... love you._ I felt my eyes begin to get misty and I shook it off quickly. 

Not only that, but several weeks ago when I had awoken in the hospital... _Just get better, dummy. ...Oh yeah, there's something I've been meaning to give you for a long time now..._ My cheeks burned and my hand travelled involuntarily to my lips. Had he really kissed me? That was a stupid question. Being kissed as a cat was one thing, but this had been totally different. When Masaya's lips touched mine they spoke a few gentle notes somewhere in my heart that lifted my spirits and gave me hope. But with Ryou, it was as if he had put his entire soul into that one kiss, and from it arose a melodious noise that travelled throughout my entire body like static electricity. It made me want to hold onto him and never ever let go; to never let that song cease playing. 

_'Ichigo!'_ I scolded myself, _'You can't base your feelings off something like a kiss. So Ryou is a good kisser... no. He's a **great** kisser, but still! Just days ago you were in love with Masaya! You're just doing this because you feel sorry for him! This isn't what **you** want! This is what **he** wants! Besides, what about that blindness thing? Ryou's loneliness is making you blind to everything else. That's what it is.'_

I slumped back against the wall. Ryou was right there whenever I was in trouble. Just like Masaya was. And he was also there at times when Masaya wasn't. All of this thinking was giving me a headache. 

"You really enjoy confusing me, don't you? I'm never confused when I'm with Masaya, but you make my brain hurt. Keiichiro says the new cafe will be finished soon. I actually visited it the other day... It looks, well, honestly it looks just like the old cafe only it's blue instead of pink. Can you believe it?" I laughed uneasily, knowing I was only talking to myself and trying to free all the nervous energy that had built up inside my body. 

"And Masaya only shows one side to me. He's a beautiful, gentle, sweet person who loves this planet. But you... I think I've seen every single facet of your personality. Sometimes you're a gentleman and other times you're a spoiled brat. Sometimes you try to act all tough and other times you seem like you'd break into pieces if I poked you with a feather. And then there are times where I start thinking you're this gorgeous and amazing human being, and not just the bossy owner of Cafe Mew Mew. Would you like to tell me which one you _really_ are?" I frowned at his sleeping figure. I was expecting him to have been awoken by my complaints, but his chest was still moving up and down at a slow, regular pace. 

"And despite all that and every time you've flicked my forehead and called me a 'baka strawberry', why is it that I have feelings for you? Why am I thinking about you right now and not Masaya! Why do I have to love **you**!" Tears were streaming down my face at that moment. I didn't even know why I was working myself up over this. I tried to dry my face with my sleeve. I'd look so stupid if he woke up to see me crying. I whirled and went for the door, but as I took my second step, I realized something was holding me back. 

Turning back abruptly I saw that my wrist was caught in someone else's grip. My eyes travelled up the tanned arm only to find that Ryou was in a half-sitting position. Awake. 

"Shi-Shirogane! Good morning!" I stammered. 

"Do you really?" he asked simply. His eyes focused sharply on me, awaiting an answer. 

"Um, what?" I think I was shaking at that point. I can't remember. 

"Do you really love me?" he repeated calmly. 

My heart froze. I couldn't answer him! But I couldn't exactly lie either... What was I supposed to do? I shifted nervously as he continued to watch me with an unreadable expression. I could feel my face getting hotter. 

"I... I do..." Waterfalls started flowing down my face, and again I attacked them with my sleeve, only to be tugged forward gently so that I was standing inches away from him. 

"You're not lying?" 

"Golly! I wish that I was lying, but I'm not!" I shouted, "Why would I lie about something like that!" 

The next thing I knew, I was somehow in Ryou's arms. He was so warm. I could feel his hair brush against my ear as he pulled me closer to him. There was a sense of security there in his embrace, and my heart was beating loudly and rapidly, so that it was the only thing I could hear. I was certain he heard it. They could probably hear it downstairs. 

"I love you, Ichigo," he whispered. I don't know how I heard it over all of the noise. 

"I... I love you too... Ryou..." 

Ryou let me go abruptly, backing me away at arms' length with his hands resting on my shoulders, "I'm sorry... I never should have said anything. The battle's over, I'm sure Masaya's worried sick about you. Um, and thanks..." 

"What! That's it?" my voice came out louder than I had intended, "I mean, I don't mean it like _that_, but, you say that and then I say that and then you just push me away and tell me to go back to my ex-boyfriend? No, nevermind forget it, what I mean is-" I fumbled for the words I was trying to say. 

"Huh? But Masaya's your..." 

"Oh! You don't know do you?" shuffling my feet I continued, "...I let Masaya go." 

"Idiot! Why'd you do that? You're crazy about him-" 

"Let me finish!" I scolded, "I thought long and hard about it, and I realized that I didn't love Masaya as much as I believed I did. Yeah, I had a crush on him, he was popular at school, and he has a beautiful smile, but our relationship, after we admitted our feelings for each other, was still more like a friendship. No, I can honestly say that Masaya is my _best_ friend... Did you know? Masaya was adopted. I was probably the first true friend he ever had. He told me that people only made friends with him because they got something out of the friendship, because it was in their best interest. He said I was different. But lately, Masaya has a lot of friends. I can tell that his smile is genuine, and so is the love and admiration that he receives from the people around him. Anyway, ofcourse I love Masaya, but I started to figure out that it wasn't where I belonged. He told me that I should go where I was happiest." 

Ryou was watching me. No doubt trying to make sense of my jibberish. 

"Where I feel like I belong... the place that's become my home... is Cafe Mew Mew, maybe moreso Tokyo Mew Mew, with the girls, and Keiichiro, too... and you. I did feel sorry for you, maybe that's why I started to think that, but, I don't feel sorry for you anymore, and this feeling... it's still there." 

"What feeling?" he asked me quietly. 

"The feeling like I got at the party... and when I realized you were Alto... and when you told me that you loved me..." I answered carefully, "It was almost like it made me happy. It was my heart telling me, 'You love him. Your future is with him. So why do you keep running away from home?' If I stay here, I think that maybe one day, that feeling **will** be happiness." 

Ryou smiled ever so slightly, "And why **do** you keep running away from home, koneko-chan?" 

I sweatdropped, "I... I'm not sure... will you take me back anyway?" 

"I might..." he started with a smirk, "If you promise you won't run away again." 

I giggled, having to wipe the tears from my eyes again, "I'll try. But if you're a meanie again, I might have to go back to Masaya..." 

"If you try to go back to Masaya, I might just have to put a collar on you," he countered. His voice broke and he coughed a bit then, "I'm still not much better, am I?" 

"No. I bet you worry poor Akasaka-san to death! Anyway, get back to bed before you pass out!" I ordered, glaring at him. 

Ryou sighed and shook his head, "Fine." 

"Good. Sweet dreams, Ryou." 

"No more 'Shirogane'?" he cocked an eyebrow at me. 

"No more 'Shirogane, unless you'd prefer 'Ryou-chan'!" I sang out. 

Wincing he replied, "No, I think we're good..." 

"I think we are too..." I agreed, "And I promise. This time, I won't run away." 

_Notes: Song lyrics from "Take Your Sweet Time" by Jesse McCartney. It's my favorite one too, Suika. _

A/N: "Epilogue - Dreams Come True", is the next and final update. This chapter is already insanely long, so I'm giving the celebration its own chapter. Please stay tuned for that, I mean, if you don't want to read about a super fun party, atleast read to find out why the heck I named this fanfiction what I did. Hmm? It should prove to be a blast! ) LAST CALL FOR PARTY SUGGESTIONS! Now review, please! 


	16. Epilogue: Dreams Come True

_A/N: This is really it folks. Thanks so much for all the reviews and for sticking with me through this. I hope you'll check out my future writing endeavors. Anyway, thanks again and please enjoy this final installment of "Dreaming in Color". And yes, Ryou is narrating once again! n.n (Thanks Kagome and Menkashi for the help, nya! And thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions, you just might see some of them reflected in this chappie.) This chapter might not be as strong as some of the others, but I hope it's atleast a little funny. And please don't kill me for my random pairing... x.x It seemed like a good idea... not that I've EVER seen that couple before, but... yeah... Please enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! And don't forget to pick up your complimentary piece of cake. :D   
_

Epilogue - Dreams Come True

Fumbling around in my pocket for the keys, I started down the pathway to the reconstructed - and very much blue, no, teal was more like it - Cafe Mew Mew. For the most part my wounds had healed, though like most wounds do, whether physical or emotional, they left their own scars. I reached for the doorknob to help steady my hand as I slipped the key into the keyhole and found it unlocked. 

_'The grand opening is tommorrow, and they're this careless with the place already?'_ I grumbled inwardly. This was not a good sign, and after having gotten back from a very long day at Tokyo U, I didn't want to give yet another lecture on responsibility. 

Letting myself in, the place appeared deserted and dark. _Strange..._ The stench of a recent paint job still hung in the air, but it wasn't collected enough to make me dizzy. I reached up to flick on the lights, but found something fuzzy there instead. 

"Huh?" I removed my hand quickly as something scurried down the wall and up the leg of my pants. 

"Uwaa!" I yelped, trying to swat it away with my free hand. 

"Ukiki!" came a high-pitched chattering from the creature that now perched on my shoulder. _Pudding's pet monkey?_

Finally recovering, I again reached for the light. 

"SURPRISE!" came the shouting of voices from out of nowhere. I almost dropped my things, though luckily got over the initial shock before I embarassed myself. 

"Happy birthday, Ryou!" came the chorus again as multi-colored heads popped up from behinds counters, tables, and pastry display cases. 

"What's... all this?" I asked cautiously and still somewhat bewilderedly, glancing around. 

"It's for your birthday, obviously," Mint spoke up first, "You're twenty today, aren't you? October 13th...?" 

"That's right..." I admitted. 

"And this is also our celebration of Tokyo Mew Mew being back together now that Zakuro-san has finished filming," Lettuce added, an extra party hat in her hand that matched the ones everyone else was currently wearing. 

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me do the honors na no da!" Pudding volunteered hyperly, snatching the crown and jamming it down on my head. "Perfect, na no da!" 

Even without looking I could tell that it was horribly off-balance. "Let the fun begin na no da!" 

"Aren't you getting just a little ahead of yourself?" Mint asked. She turned back to me and pulled something out from behind her back, "I got you a little something. It isn't much." 

"You didn't have to..." I started. 

"I know I didn't. Just open it, Ryou," Mint commanded. 

Awkwardly removing the ribbon from the box, I found a very fancy looking dog collar staring up at me. It was made of black leather, and with all the rhinestones enlaid in it (then again, knowing Mint they were real diamonds) looked pretty expensive. 

"You seem to have a fettish for dog collars. I believe this one would suit you a lot better than that old thing," she stated, pointing a dainty finger at my neck. 

"Uh, arigatou..." I replied with a sweatdrop. 

"Oooh, sparkley-sparkley na no da!" Pudding cheered, "Let's try it on!" She snatched the collar from the box and grabbed onto the front of my vest in order to make me lean forward so she could reach. 

"Uh, I don't..." I struggled. 

Lettuce ran up to the blond girl. "Pudding, I don't think that's a great idea. Ryou's probably had a very long day!" she worried loudly. 

"Never fear, Lettuce onee-chan! He doesn't mind!" The hyper girl tugged roughly at my neck until the red collar snapped. 

"Pudding!" Lettuce scolded, turning to me and bowing repeatedly, "I'm so sorry Ryou! I know that collar must have meant a lot to you, I should have done something!" 

"Uh, no, it's fine Lettuce..." I assured her. 

"Yeah, he really needed to change that thing..." Ichigo agreed. 

Zakuro wisely choose to stay out of it. Keiichiro was no doubt avoiding this whole thing by hiding in the kitchen with the cake he was preparing. 

"Okie dokie, na no da! Pretty collar go on!" Pudding shouted. 

"Ukikiki!" her monkey announced, scrambling up to my shoulder again and brushing against my bare neck. I quivered noticeably. 

Lettuce was the first to notice, "Ryou, are you alright?" 

"Fine, I'm fine..." I mumbled, trying to hold it in. 

"Just cover your mouth if you're going to sneeze..." Mint sighed, handing me a silk handkerchief. 

I shook my head. _'Stupid monkey... get off me...'_

The pet, ofcourse, did no such thing. I couldn't take it any more. Every single nerve in my body seemed to signal to my brain that my neck tickled. A small snicker escaped my lips. 

"Eh, what's so funny?" Ichigo wondered, watching me curiously. 

"Ryou-san?" 

I started chuckling lightly. This was not fair at all. Why did Pudding's pet have to climb all over me anyway. My neck was still tingling, and there was no way the chuckling would cease in the meantime. For once in her life, the catgirl put two and two together. 

"Oh my gosh! Ryou's ticklish!" Ichigo announced, clapping her hands together in delight. 

"Are you serious?" Mint asked suspiciously. 

"Yes!" The strawberry tackled me to the ground and finished off the job for the little primate. Within seconds I was curled up in a ball, unable to think or even breathe I was laughing so hard. Finally Zakuro called Ichigo and Pudding off. Even Mint and herself had gotten in on the action. Thank the heavens for Lettuce, though. She knelt by me quickly and asked if I was alright. 

"Yeah," I replied, "I'm okay." 

"Now that that's over..." Zakuro started. She didn't bother finishing, but instead handed me a book as if nothing had happened. 

"What's this for?" I asked, taking it. 

"You can use it for whatever you want, I just thought it'd be good for copying down all your melodramatic speeches so that nobody will have to suffer through them. Or notes for your lecture, I suppose. Whichever." 

I sweatdropped visibly, "Uh, arigatou..." 

"Me next, me next na no da!" Pudding announced, leaping in front of Zakuro and shoving a brightly colored bundle in my face, "It's the family love potion I was telling you about na no da! It works really well! You should try using it on Ichigo-oneechan na no da!" 

Ichigo got this weird look on her face, turned about ten shades of red, and spun around quickly. 

"Thanks, Pudding..." 

"Use it now, use it now, use it now na no da!" she chanted, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she tugged at my arm. 

The redhead gave a squeak before exiting the room. I hadn't even moved a centimeter, not that I needed some silly concoction anyway. On the other hand, we hadn't actually officially announced that we were "together", not even between the two of us, so it wasn't as if she knew any better. 

"Awh..." Mint sighed disappointedly, "I bet that would have been good, too." 

"Mint..." Lettuce sweatdropped. 

"It's true. I'm about ready for cake if this is as interesting as this scene is going to get," Mint explained. 

"W-well..." Lettuce blushed and walked towards me, "Well, you see, I thought back to when I made plushies for the cafe auction several years ago and the last one had gone to Ayano-san. I remembered you having picked it up, and... s-so I thought maybe... well, here..." 

She brought something out from behind her back and- bowing- handed it to me. 

"Lettuce..." 

"Gomen, I'm sorry if you don't like it..." she appologized, head still ducked. 

I shook my head, "Iie. I love it." 

Lettuce glanced up at me slowly, face a light shade of pink. 

"It'll remind me of what a good friend you've been. Thank you," I explained, holding the plushie in my arms. It was a gray cat, identical to Alto down to the last detail, even the deformed tail which was tied in a knot. 

"I-it wasn't much. I didn't do anything really..." she argued. 

"Nu-uh," I shook my head, "Don't say it was nothing. Give yourself a little more credit, Lettuce." 

She beamed up at me, "Alright. I'll try." 

Zakuro shifted, "Cake now?" 

"Alright," I agreed. 

"The food's done!" Keiichiro called pleasantly from the kitchen. 

"We're coming, Akasaka-san," Mint answered. 

"Not yet we aren't, na no da!" Pudding interjected, sliding between the blue-haired girl and the doorway, "We must make this into a race! Na no da!" 

"A what!" she asked, leaning towards Pudding. 

"A relay race no da!" the yellow girl repeated cheerfully. 

Apparently Ichigo had reappeared at the mention of food, "Na, Pudding... is that really such a good idea?" 

"It's better before we eat na no da! Because this way our tummies won't hurt no da!" Pudding explained eagerly, motioning us into a back room. I let out a groan. Pudding zipped off. Her disappearance was followed by the squeals of chairs and tables being moved across the slick floor, a few bangings, and then the metallic clink of a dinner chime. We all peered into the room cautiously to find a jungle of furniture and balloons everywhere. 

"Alright!" the hyper girl brought out a whistle as she stood on top of a far table, "And three, two, one no da! Goooo! First person to reach the finish line gets the first piece of cake na no da!" 

"Guess we should go along with it," Mint sighed. 

"This is so childish..." 

"Zakuro-san, we really can't hurt Pudding-chan's feelings..." Lettuce coaxed. 

"I guess," the violet-haired girl admitted. 

"That cake is mine!" Ichigo announced, dashing off into the room. 

"Oh no it isn't!" I quickly caught up to her as I dodged table legs and floor lamps. 

"Geez!" she whined. 

"It's my cake anyway, I can't just let you win!" 

Ichigo stuck her tongue out at me,"Well you're not going to win anyhow!" With that she slid under a table that was blocking our path and kept going. 

I came to a halt, backtracked my steps, then made a running leap towards the table, clearing it, and landing with my legs tucked under me. 

"Whoo! Nice move Shirogane-oniichan! Extra points!" 

"Showoff!" Ichigo muttered as I caught up to her. 

"You're just jealous," I accused. 

"Am not!" she made a sharp turn and cut ahead of me. As I rounded the corner, I noticed it was a straight line to the kitchen door. I quickened my steps trying to keep up. 

The two of us exploded through the swinging door at nearly the same moment. 

Keiichiro spun, startled, "Ah! Watch-!" 

"Kyaa!" Ichigo screamed as she slipped on the wet floor, dangling still in midair just long enough for me to slam into the back of her and cause us both to come crashing down onto the floor. 

"Owww! You're heavy!" she whined. 

"You should watch where you're going!" 

"Thank you for the cake, Akasaka-san, it's delicious," came Zakuro's voice from the other side of the counter. 

"Thank you. I'm glad you like it," the brunette replied kindly. 

"Zakuro-oneesan is the winner, na no da!" Pudding announced as she took two slices of cake from Keiichiro and spun them around above her head on long poles. She twirled around the room then paused in front of us, me having finally climbed to my feet. Ichigo was still in the process of getting up. 

"Whoo! Catch, catch na no da!" Pudding shouted as she tossed the plates at us like two frisbees. 

"Wah!" Ichigo shrieked as she fumbled around in the air and caught the **literal** flying saucer. 

However, I wasn't quite as lucky. The other plate had spun wild. That I caught, however, the cake did a somersault, came barreling down through the air and splattered down right on top of my head. 

"How wonderful..." I grumbled. 

"Na no da, I never knew you were such a butterfingers!" Pudding said as she rubbed the side of her head. 

"I never knew you had such a good arm..." I grumbled. 

Lettuce hurried over to me with a wet towel and started trying to remove the cake from my hair. 

"It's alright, Lettuce, I could use another shower anyway..." I said with a shrug. 

"But..." she protested. 

I shook my head, "Nah, it's okay. I'll be back in a bit." 

"Alright..." Ichigo said with a sigh, "I'll grab a mop. Lettuce, could you fill that bucket for me, please?" 

"O-ofcourse!" 

... 

In the bathroom I turned on the hot water faucet as I began removing articles of cake-stained clothing, watching the process in a mirror. I frowned at the image I saw there. _Had it really been ten years?_ Pretty soon that mirror would be showing me an old man instead, and when that happened, I didn't want to regret what I had or hadn't done to reach that point. The edges of my reflection were beginning to fog up when I moved my hands to the back of my neck to remove the collar. Positioning myself in just the right way, I got a good look at the right side of my neck. _Was my eyesight really that bad?_ I inched even closer to the sink. I couldn't see it... My mark had vanished... I ran my fingers across the area where it had been. There was no sensation. Not even the slightest itch. It was totally and completely gone. Staring down at my hands, I concentrated on becoming Alto. I concentrated with all my might. Nothing happened. 

"I'm..." I voiced aloud. I sank down to my knees and stared down at the floor. I had been spared. Never again would I have to worry about being stuck as a cat. Whether that was a gracious fate or not, I was unsure. 

A lot of time must have passed, because the air inside the bathroom had become uncomfortably humid and the mirror was now a milky white from the moisture that had accumulated on it. I hadn't budged. _Why in the world was I making such a huge deal out of this? It was a good thing!_ A huge burden had just been lifted from me. 

The bathroom door swung open without warning, but I didn't bother running for a shirt. I stayed where I was. 

"Hey! Do you realize you've been up here for over an hour? We're getting worried about you down there and you're taking way too long and we have lots of games and stuff planned- and you still have cake in your hair! And you're only wearing your boxer- AHHHHHHHH!" Ichigo's ranting was interrupted as her complexion turned a bright crimson and she shot back about a yard, "Ryou! Put some clothes on you dork! Don't just go trouncing around the bathroom in your underwear! What were you doing in here?" 

I glanced up at her calmly, "Learn to knock." 

"Like I said, we were worried you had drowned or something in here!" she shot back, apparently forgetting her earlier realization, "Why haven't you showered yet and why are you sitting there on the floor and why is the hot water running? You do realize there's no hot water downstairs to rinse the dishes off with, right? Akasaka-san's pretty annoyed." 

"Your ears..." 

"What's wrong with my ears?" she questioned, feeling her head. 

"Your cat ears didn't come out." 

"Well, I wasn't **that** excited," she explained, "You're not all **that** hot..." 

Ichigo tread across the room to the shower and turned the faucet off, making a slight hissing noise through her teeth as her hand tightened around the warm metal. She glanced back over at me, seeing as I wasn't moving or saying much and came over to squat down beside me. 

"Is there a problem, Mr. Black-n-Blue-Striped Boxers?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me like I usually did. 

"No... no problem..." I answered, blushing slightly. 

The red-head poked the side of my neck, "I. Don't. Believe. You. Wait a minute..." 

I heaved a sigh. 

"Your mark was right here, wasn't it...? It's missing..." she concluded. "EH? Does that mean?" There was a rustling of clothing as she lifted her dress up just enough to see that she no longer had one either. 

I stated the obvious, "It's gone." 

"It's gone? Kyaa! Don't look you pervert!" she screamed jamming her elbow into my ribs. 

"OWWwwwwwww!" I complained loudly. It really did hurt. 

"Oh my god! Ryou, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" she fretted. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea. 

"Just perfect..." I grumbled. 

"But this is great, right? You're free! You don't have to worry about the wildcat DNA anymore and you won't have to come save me everytime I get stuck as a cat!" she explained cheerfully, "Actually, I won't be getting stuck as a cat anymore, so..." 

"Yeah..." 

"So what now?" she asked. 

I let out a sigh, "I don't know. I guess this is where I really start over. Not that a job as a teacher is all that exciting, but I suppose I could still work at the pool during the summer. Maybe look into acting or singing if I get _really_ bored..." 

Ichigo giggled, "**You?** And idol? Now I've heard everything!" 

"You don't think I could do it?" I growled. 

"Maybe if you were... filming a documentary... or something," she said between laughs. 

"Now that's rude." 

"Can you even sing though?" she asked, slightly curious. 

"Maybe..." I dragged it out indignantly. 

"I'd like to hear you sing," she announced with a smile. 

"Maybe someday," I grumbled. 

Ichigo muttered under her breath, "I mean it..." 

"I know you do." 

Muttering some more she got to her feet, "Even now, you're still making yourself a difficult person to talk to." 

"..." 

She turned her head and looked down at me, "You know, it wouldn't hurt if you continued opening up to people. I wouldn't laugh at you if you did. I think it'd be a really good thing." 

I wagged my finger, "But you were just laughing at me." 

"It was in a good way!" she insisted, shaking her head,"You know I didn't mean anything by it!" 

"Yeah, I know." 

Ichigo sighed exhaustedly, "Ryou..." 

"Yes?" I glanced up at her calmly. 

With another sigh she shook her head, "No, nevermind. I'll show you later. Hurry and clean up so we can finish your party, okay?" 

I gave a shrug, "Okay." 

I took a quick shower, changed into some clean clothes, and finally made my way back down to the dining area. I heard a slight gasping as I decended the stairs. _What was up with that?_

"Wow, what luck," Mint commented, nodding her head. The gang was sitting in a rough circle facing one-another. Bob from the pool and Masaya had since arrived. Two seconds later I noticed what they were grouped around. An empty coke bottle, and it's head was aimed in my direction. 

"No... No way, I'm not playing some stupid game like spin the bottle..." I growled defensively. 

"You're no fun, Ryou," Mint replied, "Besides, you don't even know whose turn it is, and it isn't like we'd make you kiss another boy." 

"I said no," I barked. 

"Come **on**..." Mint prodded, rolling her eyes as she did so, "If you don't do it, we'll play truth or dare!" 

"Just like every other time..." I grumbled. 

"Hmm?" Mint questioned. 

"Nothing," I insisted, stalking away. 

"Don't be a brat, Shirogane," Zakuro muttered. I twitched but otherwise ignored their request. 

"There's some lasagna in the fridge. I hope you like it and all," Bob said cautiously. 

"Yeah, thanks." 

"Well, if Shirogane-san isn't going to accept his kiss, would you mind terribly if I took his place?" Masaya spoke up softly. I heard a familiar giggle which struck a nerve. 

Ichigo's voice seemed way too happy, "Ofcourse, Aoyama-kun! I love it when you kiss me." 

"That's what I thought," he said with a smile. 

"Woohoo!" Pudding cheered, "Now we'll get to see some real action na no da!" 

"Wait a minute!" I growled, spinning on the balls of my feet, "Suppose I do decide to play?" 

"Then you'll have to spin the bottle, ofcourse," Mint stated with a sigh, "Aoyama-san has claimed this round." 

"Right..." 

"We were joking." Laughing, Ichigo rose to her feet and stumbled over them to where I was standing. I felt her arms wrap themselves around my neck as she pulled herself up onto her tiptoes. Ichigo's lips brushed softly against mine. Pulling away, she repeated the process, only this time she lingered there, kissing me more sweetly and with more emotion than I had previously known. That's the feeling that I wanted to duplicate and send back to her. _Somehow._

"Wow, na no da! How do you breathe like that no da?" Pudding asked amazed. 

... 

"This is the final game for the day," Lettuce explained gently as she held up a brightly colored pinata, "I used to love these things when I was really little." 

"Me too, Lettuce! Gosh, I haven't cracked one of these suckers in ages!" Ichigo answered enthusiastically as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. 

"I agree. It has been a while." Zakuro pulled out a violet handkerchief from her pocket, "This is clean. We can use it as a blindfold." 

"We can use a broom to swing at it," Lettuce suggested. 

Pudding poked the decoration curiously, "And you say there's candy in this no da? COUNT ME IN!" 

Keiichiro had finished with the cleaning and came to join us, "Do you all mind if I play too?" 

"Not at all, Akasaka-san," Masaya assured him with a nod. 

"Thank you." 

"Alright Ryou, you're first!" Ichigo announced. 

_Yay..._ I was blindfolded and spun around til I was dizzy and almost sick considering I had already had cake and icecream, then I was handed a mop and forced to "find the right direction and hit the pinata". 

"Stand back, I don't want to be sued if I miss and hit one of you..." I muttered. 

"Already did that, Shirogane-san," Masaya said from a long ways off. 

"Goo gooo goooo no da!" Pudding cheered. 

I waved the mop slowly in the air, hearing a few stifled giggles, spun, then swung. I hit... something... 

"That. hurt," Zakuro growled, turning me in the other direction. 

"Uh... gomen..." I sweatdropped. 

I took another swing and grazed the pinata, and that was all... 

"I'll go next," Mint volunteered. She swung in a graceful arch, hitting it dead center, but not managing to do any apparent damage. Next it was Zakuro's turn. The model had a strong arm and managed to knock a piece of the pinata loose, a few pieces of candy raining down from the wound. After her, Pudding was up. The crazy girl swung so hard that she almost took off Keiichiro's head by accident. The pattern continued. Finally Masaya and Keiichiro delivered the two final blows and we all scrambled for the contents. I felt like a little kid again for a moment, swarming around a puddle of candy wrappers with the people I loved around me. Laughing, giggling, making bets on who would gather the most. It turned out that Ichigo won that bet. 

Finally everything calmed down and we sat back in chairs to relax and enjoy the sugar. I don't eat sugar too often, and I was getting more energetic than usual because of it. 

"And so then..." Mint was saying. At that point Ichigo got up and disappeared outside. 

"So I understand that you and Aoyama-san are dating now, is that right, Retasu-san?" Keiichiro was asking. 

"Uh, hai..." the green-haired girl blushed. 

"I think it's a good match, no da. Retasu-oneechan and Masaya-oniichan are a lot alike, no da!" 

"So, what schools are you all going to?" that was Bob. 

"Well..." 

I was bored with the conversation, stood, and followed the catgirl outside. She was leaning against the cafe wall, holding something between her hands. 

My appearance must have startled her because she jumped about five feet and shoved whatever-it-was behind her back as quick as she could so that I only saw a blur. 

"Whatcha got?" I questioned. 

"N-nothing, nothing at all..." she stammered, turning her eyes away from me. 

"Really?" 

She gave a nod, "Yeah. I'm... uh... sorry I didn't get you a present..." 

I gave a shrug, "Doesn't matter. 

She looked a bit sad then, "I wanted to get you something, but anything that I actually managed to think of was either way too expensive or something that I wanted instead. Besides, you could buy yourself anything you wanted without me getting it for you." 

"Sounds like you thought hard about it..." that was all I could really think of to say. 

_I don't watch sad reruns / I wanna feel the new day that comes / And if I make mistakes, well that's all right / I'd rather fall and take the sting / Then let somebody clip my wings / I know eventually I'll learn to fly._

"I'm sorry... here I am your **girlfriend** and I didn't give you anything..." she sulked. 

It was a bit of a shock, but I thought it had a nice ring to it... _Girlfriend..._

"I said it's okay. Besides, it's present enough that you even came." 

"That's what people always say, and it sounds especially fake when you say it!" 

"Excuuuse me..." I grumbled. 

_I see the world, how it could be / Dreaming in color / It looks so beautiful to me / Dreaming in color / In reds and blues, a thousand hues / Coming in clear and bright / We don't have to live in black and white / Dreaming in color._

"Here..." she finally gave in with a sigh, handing me the item she had hidden earlier, "I know you really don't like sweets and all, and you could also get them whenever you wanted... but I made them... so... and don't worry, I definately didn't burn them and even got my parents and Masha to taste test them and-" 

I patted her on the head which made her stop abruptly and shut her eyes tight. 

"...I hope you like chocolate chip?" she asked, opening one eye. 

_When everything is lookin' gray / And nothing's really goin' my way / Everybody tells me that I shoot too high / I don't let it shake me no, no / There's a secret place that I go / All I have to do is stop and I close my eyes._

I grinned down at her slightly, "Arigatou, Ichigo." 

Ichigo gave a smile, blushing, "You're welcome. Okaa-san says you put your feelings into cooking and it reflects in the taste..." 

"Then these better be pretty awesome, huh?" I asked sarcastically. 

Ichigo looked like she was going to argue, but then she just laughed, "Maybe so." 

"Ryou, Ichigo!" Lettuce called from the doorway, "We're singing karaoke next!" 

"Coming!" Ichigo waved. 

Together we walked back into the cafe. Back to where our friends were waiting. Where so many good, and bad, amusing, and difficult memories all melted together into something we have come to call "living". 

... 

(Five years later...) 

Breathlessly, I reached the edge of the park, pausing at its entrance as I struggled to take in enough air. _Fashionably late? What a joke!_ Taking another deep breath I hiked across the uneven ground to 'the tree'. There was no way she'd still be waiting for me. Afterall, I should have been here well over forty-five minutes ago. Reaching the base of the tree, I found it and the surrounding area empty. _Darn it..._

Heaving a sigh, I slumped back against the tree's trunk. Atleast the sunset was pretty... 

"You're late!" came an angry voice from above me. Tilting my head, I stared up into the foliage and found a strawberry head and scolding eyes peering down at me from a high branch. 

"Gomen. The flight was delayed," I explained simply. 

Ichigo swung down off the branch, hanging there above me, "Is that so?" 

"It is," I insisted with a short nod. 

With that she dropped down onto the ground, landing neatly with her legs bent. 

"Is that the best excuse you could come up with for being late, Shirogane Ryou?" she asked in an unsatisfied tone. 

"No, but it's the truth." 

"At this rate you'll be late for the wedding, too. Poor Keiichiro's hair will turn white!" she hissed. 

I chuckled lightly and grinned, "Don't be silly, Shirogane Ichigo. I wouldn't miss it for the world." 

Ichigo's frown slowly phased into a smile, "You'd better not or I'll never forgive you." 

"Besides, Keiichiro still has too much brown in his hair for it to turn white," I pointed out. 

Ichigo giggled, brushing hair back behind her ear. "You know Ryou, I finally decided what I want as a wedding gift from you..." she continued. 

"Hmm?" I asked in a disinterested tone. 

"I want TWO kittens." 

I cocked an eyebrow at her, "Two? Isn't one kitten enough trouble?" 

She giggled again, "Well... if I do recall correctly, weren't we supposed to get them together? If you get two, one can be yours. The grumpier one." 

"How kind of you, Ichigo," I growled. 

"I was kidding!" the redhead insisted, "But I really do want a kitten..." 

"Besides, we both **were** kittens, doesn't that count?" I continued, ignoring her pleading eyes. 

"That **doesn't** count! Come on... please?" 

I shook my head, "You'll just have to wait and see what I get you." 

Ichigo gave up with a sigh. "It took us long enough, huh?" 

"That was your fault, not mine." 

"Shut up!" she whined, punching my shoulder and then flopping back against the tree like I was currently doing, "But you know something?" 

"Hmm?" I cocked an eyebrow. 

"It's okay if it took a while, because even when the world was black and white... you were dreaming in color." 

"I guess so..." 

Her head fell to rest against my bare shoulder, "You always seem to see things so clearly. It isn't fair." 

"That's not true," I admitted, "I was blinded by dreams of you and by my own past." 

"But your past is in the past, and I'm right here. So you can see again, right?" she asked hopefully. 

"I suppose," I nodded, "But we can never completely forget the past, because the past lays down the foundations for the future." 

I must have zoned out, because the next thing I remember was Ichigo flicking me on the nose, "The Mew Project may be over, but I _know_ you have other dreams in that big huge scientific head of yours. This is the start of your future, so make those other dreams real too." 

_It's there to touch / It's there to feel / The world I've been dreamin' of / One day I will make it real._

I stared down at her with a smirk, "That's exactly what I'm doing baka-ichigo." 

"Don't call me a stupid strawberry, you jerk!" she protested, raising her arms as if she was ready to get into a fist fight with me. 

Snatching her left wrist, I held her hand up between us. The fading rays of the sun flickered off the surface of the stone that existed there. Ichigo stared at it for a while, then glanced up at me as I smiled and added, "...I'm starting with this one." 

-THE END. 


	17. Sequel Preview: Monochromatic

_A/N: Everyone thank you SO MUCH for all of the positive feedback you have given this story. It has 171 reviews, 98 favorites, and has been added to five C2 lists. Not only that, but it's been viewed over 12,000 times. That means a lot to me, seeing as how this story is actually several years old. What amazes me the most, however, is that there are actually people who like this story that dislike the Ryou x Ichigo pairing. That just floors me. Thank you so much for giving the couple and my writing a chance like that! So... after getting several ideas, I have decided to write a shorter sequel to "Dreaming in Color" which reflects how a marriage between Ryou and Ichigo could be. It will not be perfect by any means, as I want it to be as realistic as possible. It also seemed like a good way to finally experiment with another plot idea I have that won't fit with "Mew Project: Au Contraire" or "Tomorrow's Solstice". So, please look forward to it! I hope to see some of you then. In the meantime, feel free to PM me with any suggestions or questions. Thank you._

Preview - Monochromatic

I swore I'd never be the first to apologize after that fight. No matter how much she pouted or whined, I would not do it. Ichigo had clearly been at fault, and if she wanted the ice to break, it was going to be by her own hands.

And yet... _Riiing Riing..._

"Hello?" her voice was tired, irritated as it came to me on the other end of the line.

I wanted to kick myself for what I said next, "Sorry."

"...what? Ryou?" The annoyance in her voice had risen, but with it, sudden confusion.

"I said I'm sorry, okay?" I practically shouted. My face reddened as I noticed that both Masaya and Keiichiro were now staring at me, both looking like they were considering taking the cellphone from my hands to prevent an oncoming battle between her and me. I made a shooing motion with my free hand. Keiichiro returned to his tests, but Masaya didn't seem convinced, for he continued watching me anxiously.

"...it's okay." She finally said, although I didn't miss the note of triumph in her voice, "But seriously, how long are you planning on staying on that island anyway?"

"Not too much longer... we're almost done with the final run of tests," I concluded, with confidence.

I heard her giggle slightly, but she sounded like she thought I was a huge geek that needed to see the error of my ways, "Ryou, as much as I love you, you know all that scientific whatsit-thingamabobber tests and analysis makes absolutely no sense at all to me."

"Yeah, I know," I replied cockily, "You should have paid closer attention during highschool genetics, huh? Then you'd know what I was doing."

"Geez!" Ichigo hissed on the other end, then returned to speaking normally again, "Just be careful, okay? And don't do anything stupid like testing DNA on yourself again!"

I laughed at that, "I won't. See you later."

"Bye." _Click._

"It's almost done, Ryou," Masaya informed me as I made my way back over to them.

"Good work... so it's finally time?"

"Yes," Keiichiro said with a gentle smile, "And this time the girls won't have to be involved."

I nodded approvingly, resting my hands on the counter. My eyes trailed a long list of genomes on the computer screen. Everything was in place. Instead of using human girls as test subjects, we were going directly to the source. What better way to counter the Chimera Anima than with the Red Data Animal's power directly?

"Are you sure you should be using **that** DNA, Ryou? Shouldn't you have asked her first? She won't like it when she finds out."

I glanced over at Masaya with a frown, "She won't find out. Besides, if there's one girl on this planet that I can begin to understand, it's Ichigo. The two of us know her better than anyone else, save her parents, maybe. If something goes wrong, we'll be able to counter and stabilize it."

Masaya seemed doubtful, but he had placed a hand on my shoulder, "Alright, I'm ready when you are."

"Ready, Ryou," Keiichiro confirmed.

"Right," I said in the most commanding tone I could summon, "Mew Genome - Activate!"


End file.
